Illustration by Erin Bushnell
Highs
Virginia Makes Mistory
The Trump administration is reinvigorating bro culture and the patriarchy, but don’t tell Virginia. On Nov. 4, the Old Dominion elected its first woman as governor, former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, and its first Muslim woman as lieutenant governor, Ghazala Hashmi, in a statewide sweep. The Dems also picked up 13 House of Delegates’ seats.
New Mayor Brings Fresh Eyes
Six days after being sworn in, Mayor Danny Avula was in it up to his neck. But he waded through the water crisis (more on that later) and seemed to find his footing despite federal spending cuts and looming economic uncertainty. Avula fought off fresh bouts of dysfunction — uncollected taxes, unallocated housing assistance, etc. — and efforts to lower the real estate tax rate, asserting his administration’s “thriving Richmond” ethos with a new action plan. Avula’s political instincts are still developing (see his first budget), but Dr. Danny got to work building a capable management team — led by Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II — and appears to be embracing the difficult work of cleaning up City Hall.
Council/Mayor Stand up for Gilpin Court
The Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority’s plan to redevelop Gilpin Court, the city’s largest public housing community, ran aground in April amid questions over Chief Executive Officer Steven Nesmith’s plan to transfer the property to the authority’s private real estate subsidiary, the Richmond Development Corp. City Council and Mayor Avula pushed back, demanding transparency and a coherent plan for the existing 1,900 residents of Gilpin — more than 750 families, most of whom would be displaced by the redevelopment. In a city that has long subsidized displacement through tax credits, abatements and deference to real estate developers, tabling a $466 million project to protect some of the city’s poorest residents counts as progress.
Francine Gets Lost — and Found
Richmond’s most famous shop cat, Francine, wandered onto a delivery truck at Lowe’s on West Broad Street in mid-September and disappeared for 17 days. The Richmond community banded together — taking to Reddit and Instagram (@wheresfrancine), driving to the distribution center in Garysburg, North Carolina, and demanding Lowe’s use “tactical” measures to find the lost kitty. It worked. Francine was lured into a humane trap at the distribution center and made her way back home on Oct. 6. Richmond celebrated the calico queen’s return with its first annual Francine Fest on Oct. 8.
Mayo Island Becomes a City Park
Mayo Island, a historic but gritty back lot, joined the James River Park System in September. The 14.5-acre island is undergoing transformation into meadows, flowers and trails with river access. Partnerships with state and local agencies covered half of the $15 million cost, bringing to life a city planning dream 40 years in the making. The Capital Region Land Conservancy’s efforts secured a conservation easement protecting the land. The city is providing $16 million for the redesign, led by the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities and Marvel Designs. The new park is scheduled to open next fall. —Harry Kollatz Jr.
Lows
Water Crisis Leaves RVA Parched
Richmond’s water treatment plant lost power for less than two hours on Jan. 6 — and then all hell broke loose. Over the next six days, the entire city — along with portions of Henrico and Hanover counties — went without drinkable tap water, forcing businesses and restaurants to close and the General Assembly to temporarily adjourn. The official culprits were a failed backup battery system and understaffing at the plant, which is the region’s largest, capable of generating 132 million gallons every day. Then came a second water outage affecting multiple Richmond neighborhoods in late May, leading to a boil advisory that lasted two days. The bigger problem: The facility is part of the city’s aging, long-neglected public infrastructure. In a memo to City Council in early June, Scott Morris, the newly appointed director of public utilities, estimated the total cost of fixing and upgrading the water treatment plant at more than $500 million.
DOGE Pink-Slips Virginia
President Donald Trump took office in January and immediately began gutting the federal government through his Department of Government Efficiency, which has had an outsized impact on the commonwealth (federal spending accounts for quarter of Virginia’s economy). In Richmond, the funding cuts put more than $100 million in federal grants in jeopardy, city officials estimated in March. The government shutdown that began Oct. 1 forced the mayor’s office to start tracking the potential impact on city services, another $100 million in potential losses. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” also threatens to cost Virginia $2.3 billion in budget revenues over the next three years as the state economy slows to a crawl.
VCU Capitulates — Quickly
As Trump’s Department of Justice targeted Virginia’s public universities over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and dubious claims of civil rights violations, the University of Virginia and George Mason University put up some initial resistance and grabbed the biggest headlines. Meanwhile, Virginia Commonwealth University skirted the spotlight by capitulating swiftly and thoroughly — gutting its DEI office, declining medical treatments to transgender youths through VCU Health, and withholding degrees (temporarily) of students who protested the war in Gaza and expressed support for Palestinian rights.
Texting Scandals Proliferate
Within days of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s shooting death in mid-September, Chesterfield School Board Chair Dorothy “Dot” Heffron announced that she would resign over an inappropriate Instagram post. And in early October, text messages from Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones fantasizing about shooting former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert — among other incendiary exchanges — went public. Heffron is officially leaving office on Dec. 31. Jones was elected anyway on Nov. 4.
Delinquent Taxes Pile Up
During the last 20 years, Richmond has racked up roughly $31 million in delinquent real estate taxes, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. And since the COVID-19 pandemic, the city has done next to nothing to collect those unpaid bills. It’s hardly the first time that City Hall has bungled tax collections (see the 2024 meals tax fiasco), but it encapsulates the challenges facing Mayor Avula as he wraps his first year in office.
The Times-Dispatch Leaves Downtown
The Richmond Times-Dispatch abandoned its downtown office on Third and Franklin streets in March and relocated to its production facility in Hanover County. For the first time in 175 years, Richmond is no longer home to a daily newspaper — at least not physically. Meanwhile, the Richmond Free Press, located on the next block, announced in early October that it was putting its building up for sale. Both are a vital part of Richmond’s history — the RTD’s propagation of Jim Crow and racial segregation and the Free Press’ response to it. Here’s hoping the Free Press, founded in 1992 by the irrepressible Raymond H. Boone (1938-2014), remains in the city.
Hard to Call
Allianz Amphitheater Opens
Finally, Richmond gets a Class A music venue on the riverfront. The problem? It is costing taxpayers up to $37 million in subsidies in the form of rebated real estate and admissions taxes over the next 20 years. The lack of dedicated parking also unnerved residents in nearby Oregon Hill, and shortly after the opening, concertgoers began complaining about access, limited bathrooms and pricey beers ($20-plus for 24 ounces). During the Richmond Folk Festival, the amphitheater stage appeared to get the least amount of traffic, thanks primarily to restrictions on personal bags and lawn chairs.
CarMax Park Nears Completion
At long last, the Richmond Flying Squirrels are getting a new ballpark. The $130 million CarMax Park (stadium and infrastructure) is set to open in April after more than 20 years of hemming and hawing over where to build — and who should pay for — a replacement for The Diamond. The new stadium will be in the same place as the old one, off Arthur Ashe Boulevard. And despite promises that the city wouldn’t get stuck with the bill — and futile attempts to garner regional support — city taxpayers are on the hook for the entire $130 million.
