2008 Richmond Mayoral Election Forums

AIA Richmond has been named as a co-supporter of three of the mayors’ forums, scheduled for September 23, October 14 and 28.  The primary sponsors are Style Weekly and the League of Women Voters.  These three forums are free and begin with a reception at 5:30.  For more information, call Style Weekly at 358-0825.  The schedule is as follows: 

• September 23, The Renaissance Conference Center, 107 W. Broad St.  Reception at 5:30 p.m., forum at 6 p.m.  (Ed Slipek will be one of the questioners for this one.)  Topics:  downtown including development, revitalization, city services, and the master plan. 
• October 14, Virginia Historical Society, 428 N. Boulevard.  Reception at 5:30 p.m., forum at 6 p.m.  Topics:  arts, culture, tourism, and schools.
• October 28, The Library of Virginia, 800 E. Broad Street.  Reception at 5:30 p.m., forum at 6 p.m.  Topics:  growth, safety, housing, environmentalism, health care, and work force.

One of the criteria for naming the chapter as a supporter was to make sure the events were promoted to the members.  With its support of the Challenge 2030 report, AIA Richmond’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) was the prime mover in getting the chapter’s recognition on these events.  The report was sent to each of the candidates and copies were given to the Style Weekly staff in hopes that they could use it to develop some questions.

As a brief background, the city asked the VSAIA to convene a workshop to develop this 2030 report as a guide for the city to comply with the Challenge 2030 initiatives.  The city, through Mayor Wilder, was a signatory to Challenge 2030, adopted in 2006 by acclimation at the U.S. Conference of Mayors.  COTE has since been encouraging  the city to begin moving toward the goals, but so far it appears that few steps have been taken.  Perhaps this public forum will improve the chances of its implementation.