Photo by David Roberts
Most effective local march or protest of the past year
The March on Monument
Hundreds of Richmonders came together on a cold January afternoon to affirm social justice and voice displeasures with the incoming administration. What made it work was its “full range of sponsoring groups and speakers that addressed differing cultural and religious perspectives,” says Beth Marschak, a speaker at the march. “It is always hard to gauge the longer-term impact, but I continue to see people referring back to the march as they initiate other activities and actions.”
2. (TIE) Anti-Trump rallies; Dave Brat protests
3. Black Lives Matter marches
Richmond region resident who should be banished to the James River’s Williams Island
Illustration by Lauren Baldwin; photo by Ash Daniel
Joe Morrissey
Imagine the controversial public figure, failed mayoral candidate and occasional stage actor, like a mendicant hermit of old, growing a beard that resembles underbrush, living off roots and edible plants, sharpening an eagle’s quill dipped in berry ink to pen an autobiography. He lives in a squat hut of bound twigs and branches on 95-acre Williams Island. Here, Morrissey holds dominion over fox, otters, deer, wild turkey, muskrats, skunks and snakes.
2. U.S. Rep. Dave Brat
3. Former Mayor Dwight Jones
Local print reporter who could go toe-to-toe with (former) White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer
Mark Holmberg
Holmberg has been sharing grittily poignant stories of Richmond legends and everyday residents for decades as well as often-debated opinion pieces, currently with CBS-6 News and the Richmond Times-Dispatch. That background would stand him well for a stint in the White House press corps, but the lean, lanky former stonemason says he’s got the advantage over Spicer if things get physical. “If he got the best of me, I’d have to leave the country,” he says.
2. Michael Paul Williams
3. Jeff Schapiro
Image courtesy Noah Scalin
The region’s most creative individual
Noah Scalin
There’s no doubt creativity was part of the job description for Scalin as the first artist-in-residence at Virginia Commonwealth University’s business school this past school year. His residency work included a pair of pop-up projects — a portrait of Maggie Walker from donated clothing, and another of Frances Lewis from canned food and other products.
2. Ed Trask
3. Happy The Artist
Biggest controversy by county:
CHESTERFIELD
Changing School Hours
2. Dorothy Jaeckle’s comments on immigrant students and homeless student foster care
3. New water park plan
HENRICO
East End vs. West End disparities in schools, funding
“We don’t see it as a ‘versus’ situation ... We are one county with a diverse set of needs,” says Henrico County Public Schools spokesman Andy Jenks.
2. Too much development
3. (TIE) Crime rate; school redistricting
HANOVER
Adding third rail for high-speed train service
2. 10-Point grading scale
3. Local Tea Party groups putting up signs
Worst elected official in the Richmond region right now
Photo courtesy Dave Brat
Dave Brat
He’s the 7th District’s U.S. House representative in his second term. Once a Randolph-Macon College economics professor, Brat displaced the former House majority leader Eric Cantor. Brat’s encountered rambunctious town hall meetings due to his support for replacing the American Health Care Act. And at a January meeting of conservative groups he gave a statement that followed him around: “Since Obamacare and these issues have come up, the women are in my grill no matter where I go.”
2. Gov. Terry McAuliffe
3. Mayor Levar Stoney
Worst Richmond region moment of past year
Crime/murder rate
The gruesome decade of death, 1988-1997, totaled more than 100 slayings per year here. Gangs and crack cocaine made 1994 the worst, with 161 homicides. In 1997, when 140 died, the implementation of Project Exile made crime committed by a convicted felon with an illegal gun a federal case with stiffer sentencing. The direct impact of Exile is contested, though the grim numbers fell. But murders, and violent crime, are on the uptick; this year the homicide rate hovers near 40. From Jan. 1 through early June, 13 people were shot and seven killed in Mosby Court alone.
2. Most any Joe Morrissey behavior
3. Anti-Trump protests after election
Tracy Lynn (Photo by Jay Paul)
Traffic reporter who gives you the best routes
Tracy Lynn
The NBC 12 reporter has been helping Richmonders navigate the roads to and from work for about 15 years. The Richmond native says she loves to plot out alternative routes. It reflects one of her driving directives: “I would rather go 5 to 10 miles out of my way as long as I’m moving,” she says.
2. Candice Smith
3. Kristen Luehrs
The region’s most brilliant entrepreneur
Melissa Black
The Bombshell Brazilian Waxing and Beauty Lounge co-owner, who was laid off in the Great Recession in 2009, started with one little room in Carytown and now has 107 employees in three facilities in Richmond and one on the Las Vegas strip. “It’s really spectacular what happened to us,” she says. “I’m really grateful.”
2. Brian Beard
3. (TIE) Bill Goodwin; Jason Alley; Kendra Feather; the Ukrop family
Best locally produced morning radio show
103.7 Play Mornings With Melissa and Jack
Six years on as “Melissa and Jack in the Morning,” and Play 103.7’s Melissa Chase and Jack Lauterback say they’re “still in shock that they get paid for this.” They shouldn’t be: The chemistry is evident and natural. “We’re two silly, awkward, slightly weird people, which is something everyone can relate to,” they say.
2. Wicker In The Morning, Mix 98.1
3. Lori And Billy D, K95
The person who is the region’s best watchdog
Mark Holmberg
A storyteller with a Spartan style and an eye for detail, Holmberg shares his take on Richmond in columns and commentaries in print and on air. He says he sees himself as simply holding up a mirror to the community, but if people perceive him as a watchdog, “I’ll take it.”
2. Michael Paul Williams
3. (TIE) Chris Dovi; Curt Autry; Rachel DePompa
The region’s best humanitarian
Ukrop Family
The Ukrops keep in the background, yet they quietly continue to enrich the lives or Richmonders with their civic works, ranging from backing Sports Backers to funding fine arts. “The extent of the family philanthropy is far-reaching,” says Amanda Kennedy, board chairman for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Central Virginia Chapter.
2. Bill Goodwin
3. (TIE) Baxter Perkinson; Ben Campbell; Kindness Girl (Patience Salgado)
Photo courtesy VCU Basketball
Best reason for a VCU basketball coach to stay put
Loyal, awesome fan support
VCU men’s basketball has a new/old coach, Mike Rhoades, a former assistant who boomeranged to the program. He returns to a solid, winning program, but it’s the fans who make a difference, people such as Bill Mattox, a season ticket holder for nearly 30 years, and a school benefactor. “For me, the men’s basketball program is just the shining star of a well-run department,” he says, “and the most exciting.”
2. Richmond and its surroundings
3. VCU has a good team
Illustration by Kristy Heilenday
Best regional ambassador
Tim Kaine
A brutal, ultimately losing political campaign will exact a toll, but Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine kept on smiling throughout a bitter fall and represented Richmond well to the world. “Anne and I love our hometown and brag about it wherever we go,” he says. “And we’ve been in a lot of places in the last year! We are proud to serve you and proud to be your neighbors.”
2. (TIE) Jim Ukrop; Gov. Terry McAuliffe
3. (TIE) Andrew Frieden; Jason Tesauro; Jon Baliles; Katie and Ted Ukrop; Mayor Levar Stoney; Nutzy
Proudest Richmond region moment of past year
Tim Kaine's vice-presidential run
When Jim Webb chose not to run in 2012, Kaine ran against the former governor Republican George Allen and won. This put him in place when Hillary Clinton wanted a Southern moderate to balance her ticket. Despite the failed run, Kaine returned to the U.S. Senate and later reflected to the Washington Post about the dream-like chapter and the months since: “Sometimes I wake up and think this isn’t happening.”
2. Electing Levar Stoney Mayor
3. The March on Monument
Former elected official we want back
Tim Kaine
Kaine’s kind of busy right now, returning to his Senate seat after running alongside Hillary Clinton in the presidential campaign. It’s a place that suits him. Richmond’s former appointed mayor, as the Washington Post reported in November 2016, wants to “fashion his Senate service after retired Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), who spent 30 years in office.”
2. Former Mayor Doug Wilder
3. Former Councilman Jon Baliles
Photo by Jay Paul
Best new local construction
VCU Institute for Contemporary Art
This facility with an exterior that looks like it’s ready to set sail down West Broad Street is an eye-pleasing addition to Richmond’s eclectic mix of building styles. “It’s elevated the discourse about architecture,” says Craig Reynolds, director and curator of the Branch Museum of Architecture and Design.
2. Wegmans
3. Scott’s Addition renovation
Worst new local construction
New development around Short Pump
We take this vote to refer to the additional traffic and congestion generated by retail and residential projects that are coming on line in Short Pump and environs, but it could just as well be a poke at the hodgepodge nature of the architectural aesthete of various developments.
2. The Pulse/Broad Street Bus Line
3. Roundabouts in city neighborhoods
Best local television sports anchor/reporter
Lane Casadonte
The transplanted New Yorker has found a home in Richmond and at CBS 6. He says he knew he wanted to be a TV sports guy since he was 8. “I stop each day and consider how fortunate I am to be able to do something for a living that I would likely be doing for a hobby also,” he says.
2. Marc Davis
3. Chip Brierre
Best local radio sports personality/reporter
Wes McElroy
Sports always was part of life for McElroy, a morning host for Fox Sports 910. He played every sport he could, got up an hour early each day so he could read the newspaper sports section and was a regular watcher of ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” While friends were into copying moves and collecting jerseys, he was into the minutiae of stats. “I was an old soul,” he says.
2: (TIE) Big Al Coleman; Greg Burton
3. Bob Black
City to which we are tired of being compared
Austin, Texas
When you end up on a host of best-places-to-live lists each year as we do in Richmond, comparisons to other hot locales such as the Lone Star State capital are inevitable. The folks at the Austin Chamber say there’s no comparison, anyway. Asked about this category, they prepared nine pages of charts and stats to show that Austin bests Richmond in terms of age (we’re older), education (we’re lower), growth (we’re slower) and music (we have no counterpart to SXSW).
2. Charlotte
3. Portland, Oregon
Most needed thing in the Richmond region
Better/expanded public transportation
Both goals, better and expanded public transportation, are in the works, courtesy of the GRTC Pulse, the bus rapid transit set to run along Broad Street for 7.6 miles from Rocketts Landing to Willow Lawn. “The Pulse is a good piece of central infrastructure – the spine of our new system,” says Ross Catrow, an organizer of RVA Rapid Transit, a grassroots advocacy group.
2. Better schools
3. (TIE) Biking/greenway infrastructure; new sports stadium
Best independent local podcast or radio show
Mornings with Melissa And Jack
Play 103.7’s Melissa Chase and Jack Lauterback do their radio thing three hours each weekday morning, but you can also find podcast snippets of the show to listen to at your leisure. Podcasting has not affected what they do in a negative way, they say, and they’ve embraced the format.
2. Coffee With Strangers RVA
3. Hardly Working Greg Burton
Illustration by Kristy Heilenday
Best new elected official in the region
Mayor Levar Stoney
Levar Stoney’s election night victory surprised even him. Councilman Jon Baliles withdrew from the race and endorsed Stoney six days ahead of the election. Several hours of voter recruitment around VCU accomplished more than any amount of money otherwise spent on the election.
2. Donald McEachin
3. Jennifer McClellan
Richmonder you’d like to eat dinner with
Mayor Levar Stoney
When Stoney joined the fun of the “RVA Tonight” Christmas show, he repeated the tagline that described the efficacy of frozen vegetable lasagna, “Just heat it — and eat it!” Jim Nolan, the mayor’s spokesman, responded via email, “Believe it or not, the mayor’s favorite meal IS lasagna ... His drink (though not necessarily with dinner) is bourbon.”
2. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine
3. Curt Autry
Best elected official in the Richmond region right now
Mayor Levar Stoney
Stoney often meets with regional leaders about issues across borders. The administration, however, encountered criticism about trying to impose an education “compact” without a new school superintendent. After City Council’s struggles with the budget during the Jones administration, it added oversight when the administration wants to move money from department to department in the FY18 budget. Stoney didn’t veto the plan and instead issued a statement: “The Citizens of Richmond do not want to see us fight — that is the old way. They want us to govern. They want Council to legislate and they want me to lead. They want the City to work.”
2. Tim Kaine
3. Gov. McAuliffe
Most unusual sighting of Mayor Stoney
Running, jogging, 10K
The campaign ads of the now 36-year-old “CrossFit Candidate” featured him jogging and engaging in physical activity as though to underscore his youthful endurance for a challenging job. But governance is more difficult than an obstacle course. Nevertheless, in April he ran the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K in 46:59.
2. Sledding
3. (TIE) Church Hill Irish Festival; driving a snowplow; Flying Squirrels game
Photo by Jay Paul
Most indispensable local social media account
Curt Autry
The NBC 12 anchor is a big believer in Facebook, which he says is the most intimate of social media platforms, that is, if intimacy can be a description properly used when you have 183,378 followers. He shares (and often gets) some news there, but it’s also a place to share a look at what’s about to go on his grill. “My FB friends become the eyes and ears of Central Virginia,” he says.
2. Good Morning RVA
3. Rvacoffeestain
Local TV reporter who could go toe-to-toe with (former) White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer
Curt Autry
This NBC 12 anchor would seem primed for a confrontation in the White House briefing room, but Autry, who says he’s met Spicer and doesn’t envy his situation, would rather take on a Spicer alternative. “I think it would be more sporting if I took on Melissa McCarthy ‘as’ Sean Spicer, so she could chase me down in her motorized podium — it would certainly be more fun.”
2. (TIE) Juan Conde; Mark Holmberg
3. Sabrina Squire
Best person to run for mayor but never will
Curt Autry
Mayor Levar Stoney may have to watch himself in front of the microphone when he’s being interviewed by the NBC 12 anchor, but don’t expect a career change from the award-winning newscaster any time soon. “Public service is what I do now, but politics is a different animal,” says Autry. “I don’t think I’m mean enough to play that game.”
2. (TIE) Bobby Ukrop; Jim Ukrop
3. (TIE) Jennifer McClellan; Mark Holmberg
