Mayor Disavows Boycott Suggestion

Tension surrounding a proposal to increase the city’s meals tax heightened after an email began circulating from a former School Board member asking recipients to 'only patronize restaurants who support the meals tax'

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Tension surrounding Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney’s proposal to increase the city’s meals tax from 6 percent to 7.5 percent heightened after an email began circulating last night from former 3rd District School Board member and Education Compact Team mayoral nominee Cindy Menz-Erb suggesting recipients “only patronize restaurants who support the meals tax.”

Addressed to "Dear Friends," Menz-Erb’s message (seen below in a screen shot) also urges people to call or email their City Council representatives and ask them to back the tax increase. She adds that “there will be signs for restaurants to display soon,” indicating their support for the mayor’s proposal.

In a Facebook message this morning, Stoney rejected the idea of a boycott. This afternoon, 5th District City Council representative Parker Agelasto told Richmond magazine, "It's my understanding that Ms. Menz-Erb has withdrawn her name from the Education Compact Team consideration before City Council." Kim Gray, the 2nd District council representative, confirmed Menz-Erb's withdrawal.

Stoney's Facebook message acknowledged “strong feelings on both sides" of the meals tax issue. He wrote, “Debate is healthy, and ensures we make the best decision for our kids and our community. But let me make one thing clear — I do NOT support penalizing anyone, or any business, for their beliefs. In fact — I feel the exact opposite. We have an opportunity to rally around our ENTIRE restaurant community to show them that strong restaurants can help us build strong schools. As this debate moves forward, I plan to visit restaurants on all sides of this issue, to thank them for what they do for our city, and to learn how, I, as Mayor, can do more to help them grow and thrive in Richmond."

Stoney’s press secretary, Jim Nolan, said in reference to Menz-Erb’s email, “Cindy doesn't work for the mayor, she doesn't speak for the administration or the mayor. ... Essentially, we had no idea this email was coming; we didn't know anything of its content.”

Menz-Erb has not responded to a request for comment, but she followed up the email sent out Wednesday with another one this morning, noting, "I should not have implied a boycott of any restaurants. That was not my intent, and I apologize for the wording of my statement. We want all of our restaurants to be successful for the benefit of our schools. I should also clarify that I sent this out as a concerned citizen and parent of two kids, not as a representative of or in coordination with the Compact or the Mayor's Office."

At lunchtime today, Stoney visited Ms. Girlee's Restaurant on North Fifth Street to talk about the dire conditions at Richmond schools and the urgency of funding improvements. Several restaurant owners joined Stoney, including Velma Johnson, owner of Mama J's; Michael Hall, owner of Spoonbread; Lester Johnson, owner of Vagabond; Lamont Hawkins, owner of Inner City Blues; and Alisha Hawkins, owner of Pig and Brew.

They're also among the supporters listed in a new website called RVA Kids Can't Wait,  created to advocate for the meals-tax increase and funded by Stoney's One Richmond political action committee. In addition to those who gathered at Ms. Girlee's, restaurateur Kendra Feather (of The Roosevelt, Garnett's Cafe, Laura Lee's, Ipanema Cafe and WPA Bakery) is on the list, as is Malcolm Mitchell of Lower 48 and Shane Roberts-Thomas of Southern Kitchen.

Stoney described visits to elementary schools such as George Mason and E.S.H. Greene. "I've seen overcrowding, I've seen cold, frigid conditions, I've seen walls with mold," he said. "A child can't thrive in those conditions. So, we've got to do something about that."

Helen Holmes, owner of Ms. Girlee's, agreed: "These kids need our help. They're our next doctors, lawyers, governors, mayors, the next president of the United States. We have to help the schools, so I deeply support the meals tax."

The mayor said his administration considered options for how to pay for school construction and renovations. "We looked at everything, and we came up a plan, I think, that's fiscally prudent." Increasing the meals tax by 1 1/2 cents on the dollar adds just 15 cents on a $10 lunch, or 75 cents on a $50 meal, he said.

"We've kicked the can down the road long enough," he said. "When I ran for mayor I said, 'I’m going to tackle some of the hard issues.' Well, here we go; this is difficult."

Some restaurateurs have voiced opposition to the meals-tax increase. A Facebook page previously called Repeal the Meal Tax has reactivated as Stop the RVA Meal Tax, and some in the industry are speaking out. Jean Jacques Bakery in Carytown, for example, posted a seven-point argument on its Facebook page, citing "failed promises" to discontinue a 2003 increase in the meals tax from 5 percent to 6 percent to fund the downtown performing arts center now called Dominion Energy Center.

Jake Crocker, an outspoken meals-tax opponent and co-owner of Lady N'Awlins and F.W. Sullivan's restaurants and Uptown Market & Deli, organized the Richmond Restaurant Alliance as a lobbying group. He said Thursday the alliance is developing a "declaration of restaurant rights" to be signed by numerous businesses.

"Throwing money on the fire is not going to put it out," he told Richmond magazine. "The problem will continue to burn until a fiscally responsible and actionable plan is in place. ... Telling restaurants they exclusively have to bear the burden of fixing the problems caused by decades of [city] mismanagement is unacceptable." He called for "real transparency with where this money is going and where the millions already generated by meals tax revenue has gone."

Before announcing his proposal to increase the meals tax on Jan. 22, Stoney met with a group of restaurateurs last fall, including John Maher, owner of The Rogue Gentlemen, and told them of the plan. Maher said Stoney also told the group there would be some concessions to make operating restaurants in the city more appealing.

Michelle Williams, a partner in Richmond Restaurant Group, also attended the fall meeting with the mayor. Responding to a question from Richmond magazine, she said that the restaurateurs told Stoney that they, too, want to improve the schools. But, she says, "We all gave him tons of reasons why it was a bad idea to isolate one of the best things the city has going for it by slapping a tax on meals, an additional tax beyond the temporary one that ended up not temporary at all. We offered suggestions and heard reasons why other options are not possible or more difficult."