Richmond Flips Red

@TwoForFooz I sure hope no one in Atlanta said this when Donald was hired (for a higher position)

RVAs HR DirectorTy Alexander has taken the same position in Newport News. He follows Sheila White and Sabrina Joy-Hogg to Newport News It’s interesting to see how these folks get recycled with no apparent weight given to their unsuccessful tenure here nnva.gov/m/newsflash/Ho…

@TwoForFooz The magical power is not doing the thing. If poor results are a constant, as you contest, then deliver poor results across a smaller surface area. And Youngkin has been a major disappointment, but I voted for the biggest improvement on Northam and that's what I got.

@rvaFlipsRed When you have mediocre to poor performers at all levels of government, you tend to get poor results Being a Republican doesn’t endow you with some magical power to cut through all of these things Look at all the scandals of the Youngkin Admin. 🤡show no matter who is in charge

Blue Richmond is a wasteful place: we pay for roles with no responsibility while paying consultants to do the jobs for those with responsibilities. Sigh. Cc: @TwoForFooz

@TwoForFooz If you are a red, principled (your word) small government candidate, it is a red/blue issue. The red mayor who sucks at shrinking City Hall's footprint will better address your bullets than the blue mayor who sucks at having City Hall take on more.

@rvaFlipsRed Not a Blue/Red issue Governments are wasteful places -Do not attract the best and the brightest -Are employers of last resort -Leadership jobs, unstable, at whim of election cycle -Bad employees get recycled among governments- Joy-Hogg, White -More priorities than resources

@SamuelParkerRTD ::taps sign:: x.com/rvaflipsred/st…

Documents show that, since last July, the city has spent $493K to have consultant Anne Seward help Sheila White run the finance department. That’s roughly twice White’s annual salary, and more than City Hall’s top-paid employee — the CAO — made last year. richmond.com/news/local/gov…

@TwoForFooz @teevirus Sigh.

@teevirus Nah. WVTR reporting that the email announcing her resignation indicates she is leaving “for another opportunity” The ironic part is the email is from Rene Almaraz(Procurement &P Cards), who should also be on the chopping block. She should also be looking for another job.

And for the record, I don’t need politicians at the state level and below bellyaching about federal-level stuff. If she wanted to fight Trump she should have stayed in congress.

The pandering and baiting are outta control. I know it’s part of politics, but at this point people should see it for what it is and be repulsed.

The Jefferson Council’s investigative reporting revealed that during a Faculty Senate Executive Council meeting on February 28, 2025, Eric Ramírez-Weaver—chair of the Faculty Senate’s DEI Committee—acknowledged that UVA had implemented “workarounds” to maintain “diversity” in admissions following the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions ruling. He noted that these same workarounds are now under scrutiny and may require a complete rethinking. The Department of Justice formally asked UVA to demonstrate compliance with the Students for Fair Admissions decision. The university has not provided any documentation showing it is following the law—raising serious concerns about whether these “workarounds” are even legal. The truth behind Jim Ryan’s resignation? He repeatedly failed to prove that UVA was complying with federal law—even after multiple requests and deadline extensions from the Department of Justice.

While some in the UVA community are nostalgically remembering “Run with Jim,” the reality is far less flattering: Jim Ryan is running away from legal accountability. He’s resigning because UVA failed to comply with federal laws designed to protect students from discrimination. As the DOJ's Harmeet Dhillon put it: “Jim Ryan has built his entire career on what was the, academic vogue, which is DEI. Now it isn't. And so I think it is time for new leadership that's willing to comply with federal law.” TJC President Joel Gardner agreed: “It’s a great day for the University of Virginia. His [Ryan] decision to push political agendas at the university adversely affected the university community.

For those just catching up or who haven’t been paying attention, here’s the timeline that led to Jim Ryan’s resignation. This is a university president who repeatedly asked the DOJ for deadline extensions, failed to provide a shred of evidence that UVA was complying with federal anti-discrimination laws or Supreme Court rulings, and gave the public zero transparency about dismantling illegal DEI programs. All the while, he was telling the Faculty Senate that nothing would change regarding DEI. He was openly discussing suing the Trump administration and was the only public university president in Virginia to sign the AAC&U letter. This wasn’t leadership. It was calculated defiance that finally caught up with him.

Jim Ryan takes command of the narrative and claims the Trump DOJ is forcing him to resign, and people assume that’s the truth. The Trump DOJ says that’s categorically untrue, and people assume that’s a lie. Tough to be a Republican with these folks around.

Jim Ryan wasn’t forced to resign. The fact he, and so many Democrats, are pushing that narrative should be a clear indicator. Disappointing to see so many local personalities buy it hook line and sinker.

BREAKING: @AAGDhillon just went on CNN and confirmed what many suspected about UVA — namely, that the DOJ did not demand Jim Ryan’s resignation, and that UVA still hasn’t proven it’s complying with federal law. “I did express to leaders at UVA that we significantly lacked confidence at the Department of Justice that Jim Ryan, given his public statements and his ongoing public statements and his participation in groups talking about suing the Trump administration to avoid having to do exactly what we are requiring them to do.” She also revealed UVA has failed to prove it’s following federal law: “It isn't just Students for Fair Admissions. It's Title VII. It's Title IX. It's Title VI.” “I sent a sheaf of letters simply asking them to confirm compliance with Students for Fair Admissions… They didn’t. They haven’t. And to date, they still haven’t—almost three months later.” “I haven’t gotten anything in writing from UVA. They just didn’t respond at all. They’ve asked for extensions and extensions and extensions.”

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."

@SpanbergerForVA Ew.

🚌⚾️🐿️

This speaks volumes. Warren Buffet only selects directors with significant personal investment in Berkshire; otherwise they can’t do their job running the company for shareholders. The same applies to top City Hall employees.

@TwoForFooz @SamuelParkerRTD I do appreciate the Mayor outright killing something that was completely broken.

@SamuelParkerRTD I read the first part of the report. Quick takeaways 1. The City Auditor’s report is a painful read. 2. Essentially zero controls 3. Report is likely why Mayor killed P Cards 4. Alleged personnel changes made, not detailed 6. Audit conflates P Cards and Purchasing

The city credit card audit is out. It identifies $5M in "questionable expenditures" that have been referred to IG fraud investigators. It also notes exceeded spending limits, missing documentation, and transaction splitting — all of which we reported on last summer.

@TwoForFooz @SamuelParkerRTD Every report seems to lead to paying someone else to tell the person responsible what to do.

@SamuelParkerRTD 6a. That means $5M of potential problems is not all cards 7. They are hiring a consultant $$$ to figure out how to run a card program. The problems found are basic and fundamental. Nothing complex. Our highly paid Finance team should not require paid outside help.

@RichmonderNews Totally misguided from the Mayor. I'd take "motivated" and "skin in the game" over "strongest" and "most qualified" every time.

Avula administration pushes back hard against plan to toughen residency rules for high-ranking City Hall officials richmonder.org/avula-administ…