On Fighting Poverty in Charlottesville:

I agree with those who say that the best anti-poverty program in the world is a job.  But many Charlottesville citizens are working full-time and still not earning enough money to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.  We’ve got to make a greater effort to expand economic opportunities for the 25% of our residents who live below the poverty line.  To this end, we must:  

1.  Pressure the University of Virginia to Pay a Living Wage to all of its workers, and support Delegate David Toscano, the Virginia Organizing Project and others in their commendable efforts to Increase the State Minimum Wage.  

2.  Champion the Right of Workers and Residents to Organize and Speak Out for higher wages, better working conditions, and improved neighborhoods.

3.  Improve Job Training and Workforce Development Initiatives so that low-skilled workers can climb the economic ladder.  In particular, we need to build a new and improved One-Stop Workforce Development Center that provides a seamless web of support services to local residents who are looking to better their lives through job training and career advancement.

4.  Work in partnership with non-profit, faith-based and public sector organizations to Remove Barriers to Employment and Self-Sufficiency for low-income residents.  This should include strengthening our public transportation system (including adding Sunday Bus Service for workers without automobiles) and ensuring greater access to affordable childcare, affordable housing, and quality mental health/substance abuse treatment services.

5.  Work to Enhance Educational Opportunities for Children and Adults in recognition of the fundamental role that education plays in lifting people out of poverty.

On Reducing Racial Disparities in Our Community:

It is often disheartening for me to hear African-American friends and colleagues talk about their experiences as residents of this “World-Class City” of ours.  In too many areas – from education to housing to jobs to policing and so on -- there are troubling disparities in the way that people of differing races experience life here in Charlottesville.  We need to do a better job of bridging this divide.  Toward that end, we should:         

1.  Reaffirm our Commitment to Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action in hiring for City jobs.  

2.  Expand our Community Policing Program to encourage a more community-oriented approach to law enforcement;  we should also Create a Citizens Advisory Committee for the Charlottesville Police Department (like the one in Albemarle County) to give the community a greater role in helping CPD to become an even more responsive and effective law enforcement agency.  
 
3.  Continue to Make the Achievement Gap a Top Priority for our City schools, and offer support to programs like the African-American Teaching Fellows that are working to recruit and mentor more teachers of color for our schools. 

4.  Do all we can to Assist with the Restoration of Voting Rights for ex-felons and thus encourage them in becoming responsible citizens of our community.

5.  Whenever public dollars are invested in a neighborhood development initiative, Adopt Progressive Guidelines for Redevelopment to ensure that the revitalization process uplifts the existing residents of the neighborhood and avoids the destruction of their community's historical and cultural fabric via the poisonous creep of gentrification.