Lisa Lucas-Burke Announces for Mayor; Blame Game: Arena Developer Mad; First Black Va-Pilot Reporter Dies; Mustard Seed Opening in Portsmouth
🚩 There are 77 days until the U.S. House and U.S. Senate primaries on June 18, 2024. Early voting begins in 31 days on May 3rd.
🚩 There are 217 days until Election Day November 5, 2024.
☺️ Thank you to all of our subscribers and readers
Lawmakers on Policy Tour
Last week, Senate Finance Chair Senator L. Louise Lucas, House Finance Chair Luke Torian and Senator Mamie Locke went on a policy tour that made stops in Richmond, Manassas and Pennington Gap, Virginia. They kicked off in Richmond.
Photos by Paulette Shipman-Singleton
Portsmouth Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas-Burke Announces for Mayor
After Gov. Youngkin Loses Arena Deal to Mayor Bowser the Blame Game Ignites
FAILED ARENA DEAL IN VIRGINIA BRINGS HOT BLAME GAME. A consistent theme around why the proposed arena deal at Potomac Yard in Alexandria failed is: Lack of communication with key players in Virginia politics from the proponents of the deal.
The details of what Mayor Bowser gave up to secure the project are still emerging. What is known is that the DC City Council is set to vote on the agreement that will cost city taxpayers $515 million to keep the Capitals and Wizards at Capitol One Arena in Washington, during today’s council session.
RELATED: Two Powerful Women Showed That the Old Boys’ Way No Longer Works, WaPo, April 1, 2023
In a quote in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the lead sponsor in the Virginia Senate of the legislation for the arena project, Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell said, “As of today [March 28, 2024] there still has never been a meeting where all of the people got together in a room to talk about this.”
Other lawmakers with decision making responsibility relayed the same sentiment. Leonsis finally had an eleventh hour meeting with Finance Committee Chairwoman Lucas the second to last week of the Virginia General Assembly session in late February — far too late to turn the tide with a key lawmaker who had expressed concerns early on regarding how multi-billion arena deal would be financed.
With regard to failed lobbying efforts and outreach, Capitals/Wizards owner Ted Leonsis told Axios on March 29 that, "It's not my job. I'm a businessman. I'm not a politician I mean, it just doesn't feel world-class. You don't treat big, important companies that way.”
“A billionaire not meeting with the VA Senate Finance Chair who runs an $80B 2-year budget is definitely not ‘world class’ behavior which is why arena is going to a city whose residents are fronting about $800 per man, woman & child in cash to secure this project,” Leader Surovell responding on X on March 29.
With a new group of leaders coming in to power in the Virginia legislature in the opposite party of Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, it should have been clear to the Governor’s office and business leaders that building trust would be an important element to the deal succeeding.
Incredibly, neither Gov. Youngkin or Leonsis or JBG Smith embarked on a basic public relations campaign to explain why the arena deal would benefit the Alexandria community or Virginia in general. Questions regarding claims of “30,000 jobs,” went unanswered over months and no evidence of grassroots public support was in evidence over the 105 days the arena deal was in the news. Further, no known labor agreement was in place for the project.
When Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Monumental CEO Ted Leonsis, JBG Smith CEO Matt Kelly and Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson announced the arena project in Alexandria on December 13, 2023, none of the key players in the Virginia legislature were present. They include the incoming Senate Finance Chair State Senator L. Louise Lucas, the incoming Senate Majority Leader Scott Surrovell, the incoming House Finance Chair Luke Torian and the incoming House Speaker Don Scott.
By December 1, 2023, it was known who the new leadership in the Virginia General Assembly would be for the 2024 session.
In the first paragraph of a lengthy March 27, 2024 statement on the arena deal’s failure in Virginia, JBG Smith CEO Matt Kelly wrote, “while we had made great strides in advancing the project’s transportation plan, overall design and financing structure, the opportunity was derailed largely due to partisan politics and, most troubling, the influence of special interests and potential pay-to-play influences within the Virginia legislature.”
JBG Smith CEO went on to reference the, “hundreds of thousands of dollars, enormous sums in Virginia politics, of political contributions associated with it – a large portion of which were directed to key senate leaders. When one follows the money, the implications are deeply troubling for Virginia and for the future of transparency in economic development pursuits.”
The allegation of “potential pay-to-play influences within the Virginia legislature” by JBG Smith, a company mentioned in two of Gov. Youngkin’s press releases and has donated money to his PAC Spirit of Virginia, drew the negative attention of many lawmakers and political observers in Virginia politics. Virginia has no limits on political donations but requires public disclosure and restricts all fundraising during the legislative session.
JBG Smith’s donations to Gov. Youngkin are charted below:
But donations to elected officials by entities with business before the government of Virginia is not unusual regardless of party and amount, particularly when the current code of Virginia places no limits on donations.
Marvin Lake, First Black Reporter at Virginian-Pilot, Dies at 80
Marvin Lake, the first Black reporter hired by the Virginian-Pilot, died on March 27, 2024.
Obituary: Lake died at home surrounded by loved ones including his wife of 41 years, Ruby A. Farrar-Lake, the love of his life, best friend, and faithful caregiver. Born 1944 in Norfolk, Virginia, he was predeceased by his mother Audrey Marie Lake White, stepfather Charles White and brother Maurice A. Lake. A career journalist, his interests dated to junior high school as business manager for the Jacox Journal in 1959.
Lake was editor of The Clarion, Booker T. Washington’s student newspaper. Briefly, he wrote a weekly column for The Journal and Guide. Marvin was drafted in 1967 serving two years in the Army working public information office producing the base newspaper at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii. M.L., as he’s affectionately known, retired 2007 as the first African American reporter, editor and public editor of The Virginian-Pilot, closing a 41-year career.
He graduated Norfolk State University with a sociology degree and minor in psychology, Marvin was its newspaper editor and later taught as an adjunct at NSU and a multiculturalism course at Hampton University.
Cherished by his wife; brother Warren Lake (Shirley); niece Dawn Lake; nephew Maurice A. Lake, Jr; and all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him. Public viewing will be 12:00 PM—4:00 PM on April 1, 2024, at Riddick Funeral Service, 1225 Norview Avenue, Norfolk, VA. A 10:00 AM funeral will be April 2, 2024, at Shiloh Baptist Church, 745 Park Avenue, Norfolk, Va. 23504. Family will gather at the church at 9:30 AM.
In lieu of flowers, kindly donate to Norfolk State University, Shiloh Baptist Church Legacy Fund, or the Alzheimer’s Association. A private burial will be at Crestview Memorial Park, Lacrosse, Virginia 23950 after the funeral. The full obituary can be read at www.riddickfuneralservices.com
One Million for Transportation Announced by Rep. Bobby Scott
On March 26, Congressman Bobby Scott announced $1 million in federal funds to purchase more electric buses in Hampton Roads.
Photos: Mustard Seed Place Opening in Portsmouth
On March 27, in Portsmouth, The Mustard Seed Place, a place to empower women, held a ribbon cutting in Olde Towne Portsmouth. Mustard Seed Place founder Dr. Angela Reddix, invites women to join the Womanhood Initiative.
Below are images from social media of the ribbon-cutting which was attended by Portsmouth Mayor Shannon Glover, Congressman Bobby Scott, Speaker Don Scott and State Senator Angelia Williams Graves
Listen to the latest episode of Pod Virginia with Lauren Burke and Michael Pope:
➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO BLACK VIRGINIA NEWS. “One had better die fighting against injustice than die like a dog or a rat in a trap.” —Ida Wells. 👨🏽💻 Send your press releases, submissions, tips, pitches, comments and corrections to BlackVirginiaNews@gmail.com.