Mayor Wilder's former political mastermind, Paul Goldman, is considering running for council. Which leads to the question, would he challenge his former boss/partner, would he collude with him or would he do what you would expect him to do, act as an agent of the citizens that might elect him and work constructively for a better Richmond.
City Attorney investigating Mayor Wilder's Gubernatorial Campaign
Mayor Wilder, who rode into town on an anticorruption horse, is still dealing with the skeletons of his earlier run for governor. Apparently $172,571 are unaccounted for. These funds were handled by his son and campaign treasurer. The mayor is not personally under investigation, but a guy who likes to throw stones should choose better building matial for his political house. Or maybe he should throw a few less stones.
Riverside Drive may close for Weekend
The idea is to turn it over to pedestrian and cyclists. This could be a recreational bonanza. Richmond is rich with outdoor oportunties and this would provide a fantastic way to show off the natural beauty that lies within the city limits. Parking would still be a headache, but this would attract even more people back to the city, if just for a weekend stroll or ride.
Economic Impact of Brave may be negative
The article states that the benifit to the local economy of the Richmond Braves is only marginal and is almost entirely offset by the subsidy provided by the City to operate The Diamond. This is almost certainly true as far as it goes, but it does not consider the potential impact an new stadium could have on downtown. The current location of The Diamond almost guarantees minimal spillover. Fans stream in off I64/95 into a large parking lot in an worn out industrial district. There's little incentive for them to do anything other than to jump in their cars speed back to where they came from. Take those same 350,000 fans and put them close to downtown on a summer afternoon and the impact could be quite different. Imagine them strolling to restaurants, museums and parks that exist close to a proposed downtown location. Imagine conventioneer having easy access to a nearby baseball stadium. Imagine the pride and identity that could be developed by a beautiful downtown ballpark. All it takes is a little imagination.
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