Sept. 30 Newsletter: What happens if there is a runoff in the mayoral election?
Weather: The rain is back. High of 74.
On this date in 1870, the James River rose 24 feet, 9 inches above flood stage. The water was so high, it snapped Mayo’s bridge into two pieces.
What happens if there is a runoff in the mayoral election?
There are five candidates running for Richmond mayor, but the winner won't necessarily be the one who gets the most votes. To become mayor, a candidate must win in five of the city's nine council districts, Charlotte Matherly reports.
If no one reaches the five-out-of-nine threshold — if three candidates each win three districts, for example — the race will head to a runoff. In that case, the two candidates who receive the most votes city-wide will face off in another election exactly six weeks later. This year, that would land on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
In a runoff, all the voting precincts reopen, and the same rules apply where one candidate must carry at least five of the nine council districts to win.
None of this has ever actually played out — Richmond has never needed a runoff election for the mayor’s race under this model. The closest has been in 2016, when Levar Stoney won in a crowded field that prevented any candidate from getting near 50% of the vote.
Read more, including how Richmond's general registrar is preparing for the election
After months-long lull, RPS is reviving its Vacant Property Committee
The Richmond School Board has revived its Vacant Property Committee in an effort to get a better handle on what the school division owns, what it’s using and what could potentially be sold or redeveloped, Sarah Vogelsong reports.
“The city has tried to pull a fast one a time or two,” Fifth District member Stephanie Rizzi said. “We have to be really adamant about the value of these properties and the money the School Board receives for them.”
Despite its name, the Vacant Property Committee intends to look at more than just properties that are sitting empty. Members pointed to the board’s recent transfers of land to the city Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as negotiations over the transfer of Ruger Field for the construction of a tennis center, as examples of other transactions the committee could review.
“We all need to be informed so that we can make solid, informed decisions,” said board chair Dawn Page.
Read more, including a list of some of the properties in question
Documentary premiere spotlights the role of Rosenwald Schools in educating Black students
On Tuesday night a new documentary, “Monuments With Blackboards: The Rosenwald Schools of Virginia,” will premiere at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Tim Wenzell reports.
Produced by Tom Lassiter, the film chronicles the effort to school African American children before the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling that led to the end of legalized racial segregation in the schools of the United States.
“The story is heard over and over again,” Lassiter said in an interview. “The schools still standing today are some of the most endangered structures in the country.”
His hope is that the documentary will get these historic schools the attention they deserve, beginning in the Richmond community.
“These schools have been largely ignored for too long,” Lassiter said.
Read more, including details from the film
KavaClub's troubles continue, but sobriety group says it supports the business
A recent legal scuffle with the Virginia Department of Health leaves the future of Virginia’s first and only kava bar uncertain. KavaClub received a cease and desist letter from the Virginia Health Department, reports Nick Caffacus.
The beverage sold, created by steeping ground kava root in water, has reported calming and anxiety-reducing effects, but there is little research into potential health risks. VDH does not allow it to be sold to those under 21 years old.
A sobriety group for music fans held several meetings at Kavaclub in August because its usual venue, Gallery 5, was undergoing stage renovations, according to Aspen DeRosa, one of the group’s founders.
The letter from the VDH stated that “it would be reasonable for individuals attending this event to presume that a group meeting regarding sobriety would not include the availability of substances that might jeopardize one’s ongoing sobriety."
DeRosa told The Richmonder he does not think the VDH should be deciding what could cause recovering individuals to be at risk of relapse.
In other news...
- U.S. Senators, Richmond housing expert discuss how to ease nation’s affordable housing crisis (Virginia Mercury)
- 20th Richmond Folk Festival is 'best thing since sliced bread' (Times-Dispatch)
- Poe Museum announces new rare addition to its collection (NBC 12)
The editor's desk:
It was an eventful trip to South Florida, with no sun but plenty of drama. The Hokies were on the wrong end of a controversial replay review, a sentence we've written before (Danny Coale caught it).
It's good to be back, and we've got a busy week of stories lined up as we prepare to turn the calendar to October - the election is now just five weeks away.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
