Richmond
City Council /
News Release
For
sharing, forwarding and posting
Monday, 19
November 2018
A statement from
The
Honorable Parker C. Agelasto
Councilman, Richmond City Council
Richmond Central 5th Voter District
"Since
2012 when I was first elected to represent the 5th District on
Richmond City Council, I have had the greatest privilege to bring voice to the
most diverse constituency in the city. It has truly been my honor to serve. We
have celebrated our uniqueness and found common causes to fight for and
against. In the six years that I have
served, spanning two different administrations, I have helped craft major
improvements to our neighborhoods and positively impacted the lives of many
individuals that call them home. We have seen crime and the number of blighted
properties go down and funding for schools and enhanced public infrastructure
go up.
I
think about the highs and lows of this time.
My first weekend after being sworn into office there was a homicide off
Lawson Street. I remember the sadness I felt for the family as we stood at a
candlelight vigil reflecting on the life that was gone. I remember the personal
failure I felt in 2014 when learning that Traymont Burton had killed his 2-year
old son, Keytrell Kelly, the mother of his son Michelle Kelly, and Michelle’s
friend Adreena Gary in a triple murder / suicide. I had met Traymont on his
block of E. Roanoke Street and talked at length about his future and exchanged
emails following up on his job prospects. Sadly domestic violence remains a
silent killer that cannot be easily apprehended. Fortunately, we have the Carol Adams
Foundation partnering with Riverview Baptist Church to help victims and work to
combat this issue.
To
address the most murderous place in the 5th District, I have been
part of a team that has met monthly for the past 6 years to go over crime
reports from Midlothian Village, now known as The Belt Atlantic, and strategize
on ways to improve safety and bring needed resources and opportunities to
residents. I am proud that it appears the new owner is making good on their
commitments to provide quality housing for some of the region’s lowest income
earners and make it safer for them.
I
remember the night that I also comforted residents as they were evacuated from
the burning Stonewall Place senior apartments operated by Richmond
Redevelopment and Housing Authority. I remember the marches with Senator Henry
Marsh and then Lt. Governor Ralph Northam in support of the Equal Rights Amendment.
I remember advancing legislation to provide benefits to city employees of
same-sax marriages and to establish the Human Rights Commission. I remember our
monthly community clean-ups that rotated to every neighborhood in the 5th
District. We’ve evolved from bulk and brush collection in alleys and general
litter pick up to now planting trees and covering graffiti. I remember scraping
weeds out of the street gutters in Randolph and some of the elder residents
stopping in the rain to thank me for working so hard at their doorstep.
I
remember of the hard votes on Richmond City Council, particularly related to
budgets for schools and capital projects. Since 2012 when the City contributed
$124 million to Richmond Public Schools annual operating budget, City Council
has increased appropriations every year to now $169 million. That’s a growth of
nearly $45 million. And while my proposed cigarette tax failed to be adopted
and generate nearly $5 million annually in cash funding for school maintenance,
I voted to increase the meals tax to invest in school construction. I have also been a faithful participant of the
Education Compact.
I
remember tightening the City’s tax abatement program to prevent abuse from
developers. I remember working with communities on every Special Use Permit
that came to City Council to ensure that the residents had a say at the
beginning of the discussion. Even on by-right development, I convened meetings
and presentations to inform the public. We have welcomed substantial development
in the 5th District including the largest housing project in the
City – the Gladdings Residence Hall with 1,500 beds. We have honored our past
by creating five historic districts including the Carillon neighborhood to
celebrate its role in the Civil Rights Movement in resisting redlining and
fighting blockbusting. I remember working to establish the Maggie Walker
Community Land Trust to help ensure housing affordability in perpetuity and
working to have more than a dozen of the vacant RRHA scattered site properties
in Randolph and Maymont rehabilitated and placed with the Trust. From Hull
Street to Cary Street, our work to make the 5th District a desirable
place to live and grow a business has attracted more than $250 million in investment
over the past few years. What was once blighted, vacant properties are now
alive with activity.
“A
Worker Not Just a Talker” was my first campaign slogan. I have committed myself
100% to serving the 5th District on Richmond City Council and
continue to demonstrate the same determination and persistence that drove my
ambition to collect 170 signatures from registered voters in the district with
less than 48 hours before the initial filing deadline. With 14 civic
associations, service on many Council committees and boards, such as Maymont,
Richmond Region Tourism, Richmond Regional Planning District Commission, and
Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization, it is easy to see my
day filled with meetings and criss-crossing the city to reach stakeholders and
to find solutions. My collaborative approach and efforts to reach “yes” and not
simply respond “no” often have obtained better results for the City.
In
the past six years, I have also married and have begun to raise a family. My
wife, Katherine, and I have a daughter Kate who will be 2 years old in December
and we are expecting a son in March of next year. As someone said to me
recently, we are going to be playing man-to-man coverage and can no longer rely
on zone defense with two children. It is only right that I be more present to
provide for my children in these formative early years. Every elected official
or public servant knows that they sacrifice greatly and personally to fulfill
their duties. I and my family are no different.
I thank Katherine for her support while I serve the 5th
District on City Council. In order to be the best husband and father, however,
we have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2020.
I
also believe in term limits and allowing new voices to be heard and
opportunities for new leaders to emerge.
I look forward to working with this next generation, whomever that may
be, to advance the principles of the 5th District and to continue
making our City great. I thank all of the many wonderful people at City Hall
who have assisted us over these past six years in responding to constituent
concerns and addressing them timely. I also thank Ida Jones and Amy Robins for
their unwavering commitment to our office and all of the constituents of the 5th
District. Much of the credit is shared with these women.
I
will continue to faithfully serve the 5th District and interests of
our many stakeholders in making the City in the vision that we have for its
future. I look forward to what’s to come over the next 2 years in completing my
second term."
CONTACT
For more information, please
contact:
The Honorable Parker C.
Agelasto, Richmond City Council, Richmond Central 5th
Voter District, at 804.646.5724
(tel), or parker.agelasto@richmondgov.com (email).
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