James C. Sherlock
It is always interesting, at least to me, to see who is investing in local political campaigns in Virginia and what they might expect for their money. I have used VPAP to examine donations from all years/all filing periods and for this year’s race as applicable to let readers follow some of the money.
Statewide
The six donors who have given the largest amount of money to local candidates in Virginia in 2024 are all of the left side of the political spectrum. The left makes local candidates a bigger priority than any other political funding operation.
- New Virginia Majority (Alexandria): donated $361,498, most of that ($214,378) to Harrison Roday for Richmond Mayor. Roday is endorsed by city workers’ unions. Seems a relatively cheap investment given the financial stakes for the unions;
- Lucas for Senate (Portsmouth): donated $306,803, most of that ($295,803) to Louise Lucas’ daughter, Lisa Lucas-Burke, who is running for mayor of Portsmouth. Ms. Lucas-Burke has been on her mother’s payroll at Lucas Lodge for 25 years and has been Vice-Mayor of Portsmouth since 2016;
- Workers Vote (New York): $240,832, all of it to elect candidates for Alexandria mayor and city council who will support union-friendly changes to the city’s collective bargaining ordinance and support higher pay and benefits for city workers. One again, seems a bargain given the financial stakes for the unions;
- Thomas J. McInerny (Genworth Financial – Henrico): $160,000, most of that ($125,000) to Harrison Roday for Richmond Mayor;
- Amy Jackson (Alexandria): $119,111, self-funding campaign for mayor of Alexandria. She lost in a Democratic primary. Alyia Gaskins is running unopposed for mayor in the general election;
- Lisa Roday (Henrico): 103,403, Harrison Roday for Richmond Mayor.
The Public Unions Effect
When they last controlled the Governorship and the General Assembly, Democrats changed the game in local races by permitting public unions by local option and thus raising the stakes enormously. The Richmond and Alexandria races have drawn a lot of the big money from the left. It is no coincidence that those two cities allow public unions.
Richmond
By far the most expensive race in Virginia appears to be the battle to be mayor of Richmond. Funding is dominated by Dr. Danny Avula, well-regarded for his service during Covid, and newcomer Harrison Roday.
The Richmond City Council District 6 race is a mess. Taveres Floyd is the leading fund raiser among all the city council candidates. The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond TV 12 and VPM have raised questions about Mr. Floyd’s past claims, including:
- his claimed relationship to George Floyd;
- donors he has reported who say they never made political contributions; and
- his status as a lawyer.
Candidate Floyd has denied all allegations but refused to take questions. Floyd has made an unsubstantiated accusation that one of his two opponents, District 6 incumbent Ellen Robertson, is under investigation by the FBI for taking kickbacks. Floyd, of course — it is Richmond after all — used to work for Robertson.
Below are the latest District 6 fundraising totals from VPAP.
Virginia Beach
Without public unions, Virginia Beach has one target for deep-pocketed donors, its Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The current six-year (FY 2024-25 through FY 2029-30) CIP has programmed funding of over $5.47 billion. Four percent of that money goes to information technology. The rest is for projects with contracts awarded to the real estate and construction industry. That industry legally, publicly and very cheaply buys dominant influence over the city council that appropriates all of that money. The city council in turn appoints the members of the Economic Development Authority, which along with city council picks winners and losers of those billions.
In the case of Atlantic Park, the city council over a period of less than five years transferred more than $200 million dollars from contractual obligations of the developer team to those of the citizens while ignoring missed developer deadlines. We citizens of Virginia Beach are left with a $331 million tab for a very risky project.
Incumbent and candidate for re-election Bobby Dyer (pictured above) led the giveaway. Dyer for Virginia Beach Mayor has received more than $800,000 since Jan 1, 2018. Real estate/construction industry members have donated $352,655 of that total. Six of his top seven donors are from that industry.
Yet see how much less expensive local elections are in Virginia Beach than in smaller cities of Richmond and Alexandria. From VPAP:
Bottom line. The vast majority of states have campaign donation limits — the lower the office the lower the limits. Virginia has none.
Our elected leaders have chosen instead to legalize public corruption in plain sight. By doing so they drive up the costs of elections and drive a lot of good people away from running for local office — people who understand the game and refuse to play it.
It represents a bipartisan failure.
And it is disgraceful.
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