Bijou Salon: Levar Stoney

Bijou Salon No. 3 Report

In the Chair: Levar Stoney, mayoral candidate 

Panelists for this session: Chris Dovi, Michael Garrett, Don Harrison, Karen Newton, Reggie Pace, James Parrish, Carrie Stettinius, Gordon Stettinius, Charles Williams, Matt Zoller. 

Host: Terry Rea 

Background: A few weeks ago, during a Facebook discussion about Richmond's nettlesome baseball stadium issue, something interesting occurred. After some messaging back and forth a sit-down meeting with mayoral candidate Jack Berry was arranged. It took place on Oct. 3 in the Bijou Film Center's downtown screening room space. Berry, 62, met with a savvy group of invited citizens for about 90 minutes, to answer questions and discuss various local political issues. Thus the concept of the Bijou Salon was launched. Then, on Oct. 23, Jon Balies, 45, sat in the chair to answer questions and present his vision for Richmond, his home town. 

Oct. 25, 2016: Levar Stoney smiled, rolled up his sleeves and sat down. He seemed to relish the opportunity to present his case to the Bijou Salon panel on hand. As with the Berry and the Baliles sessions, no political beat reporters were invited. No television journalists were invited. No recordings of the confab were allowed. Once again, the conversation went on for about 90 minutes.

Once again, the panel got to ask follow-up questions. The panelists spoke naturally, while sitting around a table, drinking beer (or wine or sodas) and listening. Of course, the candidate did most of the talking.

Stoney spoke frequently of his experience working in Gov. Terry McAuliffe's administration as Sec. of the Commonwealth (2014-16). At 35, Stoney's youth and background in state government help to set him apart from the other two most prominent anti-Morrisseys – Baliles and Berry – who have experience working at and with City Hall.

Stoney asked those listening to him to see his youth and energy as a plus. He pointed at the "system" in City Hall as maybe more of a problem than the personnel. However, when it comes to the task of taking at hard look at some of the entrenched city employees who may have overstayed their welcome, Stoney presented his fresh face in town vantage point as an advantage. He smiled often and confidently.

While criticizing Mayor Dwight Jones for his lackluster performance, in general, Stoney reminded us of how Jones has seemed to an enigmatic presence in recent years. Stoney asserted that he will be a mayor who is accessible and visible.

Of the three candidates who participated in the Bijou Salons, Stoney seemed the least interested in spending taxpayers' money on professional sports. He said he thinks the Redskins will probably leave town sooner than later. He also seemed less convinced than some of his rivals that minor league baseball simply must stay within the confines of the city limits, no matter what.

Concerning the admissions tax issue, Stoney seemed happy enough to see it phased out. Whether he would provide leadership in that area wasn't clear. However, on this topic neither Stoney nor Berry showed the depth of understanding that Baliles revealed.

Indeed, this particular issue flies under the radar for most Richmonders, who have no sense of how that seven percent grab, which the city takes off the top of the price of every ticket sold in Richmond, hobbles show biz to limit our entertainment options (click and scroll down to read an OpEd penned by yours truly). A forward looking city government should take a hard look at what eliminating that tax has done to create entertainment scenes in Austin and Nashville.

In summing up, after three sessions it's obvious that our relaxed atmosphere format allowed for more complete answers than a typical candidates-on-stage forum provides. It seemed the attendees enjoyed the conversation. So much so, in each case some folks lingered to talk about what they had heard and ask one another about their views of this year's fascinating mayoral race.

My thanks go out to the three candidates who took a chance. All three guys came in without handlers. All three appeared to appreciate the opportunity to have a beer and explain their views. Fortunately, we didn't hear all that much canned, sound bite talk. The trio gave me more to think about, as I decide which mayoral candidate will get my vote.

And, my thanks also go out to the panelists for the three sessions. They were: Chris Dovi, Lillie Estes, Barry Fitzgerald, Sasha Waters Freyer, Betty Garrett, Michael Garrett, Don Harrison, Katey Knox, Enjoli Moon, Karen Newton, Reggie Pace, James Parrish, Billy Rice, Markus Schmidt, Nicki Stein, Carrie Stettinius, Gordon Stettinius, Charles Williams, Matt Zoller.

After three "strong mayor" terms (of four years each) that have been disappointing, Richmond needs to finally elect a mayor who can make the strong mayor system work. We need a full-time mayor who can foster the regional cooperation that's vital to solving metro problems. An energetic mayor who can cure the morale problem at City Hall. A mayor who wants to listen to a fair range of voices representing the whole community.

The presumed front-runner Joe Morrissey is clearly the most polarizing of the four candidates who, at this writing, seem to have a chance of winning. Or at least finishing in the top two, to qualify to be in the run-off in December. In the last days before election day, Nov. 8, many of Richmond's voters may still be undecided about the mayoral contest. Maybe this piece will help.

To close: On November 8 please remember to do you duty as a citizen and vote. After that, stay tuned for more news about future Bijou Salons.

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Bijou Salon: Jon Baliles

Bijou Salon No. 2 Report

In the Chair: Jon Baliles, mayoral candidate

Panelists for this session: Barry Fitzgerald, Betty Garrett, Michael Garrett, Don Harrison, Katey Knox, Reggie Pace, James Parrish, Gordon Stettinius, Matt Zoller.

Host: Terry Rea

Background: A few weeks ago, during a Facebook discussion about Richmond's nettlesome baseball stadium issue, something interesting occurred. After some messaging back and forth a sit-down meeting with mayoral candidate Jack Berry was arranged. It took place on Oct. 3 in the Bijou Film Center's downtown screening room space. Berry met with a savvy group of invited citizens for about 90 minutes, to answer questions and discuss various local political issues. Thus the concept of the Bijou Salon was launched.

*

Oct. 23, 2016: Jon Baliles sat in the Bijou Salon chair for a freewheeling discussion of his views. As with the Berry session, no political beat reporters were invited. No television journalists were invited. No recordings of the confab were allowed. Once again, the conversation went on for about 90 minutes. Again, it was more like friends and associates sitting around a table, drinking beer (wine or sodas) and politely taking turns asking questions and making comments.

For the Baliles session, while the candidate did most of the talking, it was striking what a good listener he was. He responded directly to questions. Everyone on hand who had something to say, said it. For the most part, no one was cut off or talked over. Moreover, Baliles' answers didn't seem to be canned talking points. It was refreshing.

Baliles explained the evolution of his view of the baseball stadium issue, in depth. Given the pivotal role he played in scuttling Mayor Dwight Jones' Shockoe Bottom baseball stadium proposal, it was good to hear Baliles talk about his 2014 telephone conversation with his fellow councilman, Charles Samuels, that led to their joint press release. That statement by Baliles and Samuels effectively put the kibosh to the mayor's puzzling, wrongheaded plan to move professional baseball from the Boulevard to the Bottom.

Baliles also spoke at length about his history of interacting with the arts community, especially with the mural project he and artist Ed Trask headed up. Note: Both Berry and Baliles can talk comfortably and credibly about their associations with Richmond's arts community, but there's a difference. Berry's perspective seems more from the top down, while Baliles' seems more from the bottom up.

When it came to his understanding of the admissions tax issue Baliles showed he has done his homework better than some candidates. Most Richmonders have no sense of how that hidden seven percent tax -- that comes off the top of every ticket sold in Richmond -- acts to truncate our entertainment options, or how it works against show biz, itself. Because he understands its impact, Baliles favors phasing the city's counterproductive admissions tax out, perhaps at a rate of one percent per year, until it's kaput. 

Generally speaking, Baliles showed a noteworthy depth of understanding for each issue discussed. He left me with little doubt about his ability to hit the ground running, should he win. Nonetheless, I am still undecided about which mayoral candidate will get my vote on Nov. 8, because I want to do more listening, myself.

After the first two Bijou Salons, it's already obvious that our relaxed format has allowed for more complete answers than a typical candidates-on-stage forum provides. With several candidates standing before a seated audience, to take turns answering questions with practiced sentences designed to be soundbites, it's hard to get a feel for any particular candidate's range and depth of knowledge, their ability to listen, or their sense of humor.

From what I can tell the panelists seem to have been enjoying their role during the sessions. Overall, they've been fun to do, so far. Mayoral candidate Levar Stoney will sit in the Bijou Salon chair next. My report on that upcoming session will be posted later this week.

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Bijou Salon: Jack Berry

Bijou Salon No. 1 Report

In the Chair: Jack Berry, mayoral candidate

Panelists: Lillie Estes, Sasha Waters Freyer, Betty Garrett, Michael Garrett, Enjoli Moon, James Parrish, Billy Rice, Markus Schmidt, Nicki Stein, Charles Williams, Matt Zoller.

Host: Terry Rea 

During a fairly typical Facebook discussion about Richmond's nettlesome baseball stadium issue something interesting occurred. An offer emerged. After some messaging back and forth a sit-down meeting with mayoral candidate Jack Berry took place on Mon., Oct. 3, in the Bijou Film Center's downtown screening room space. So a week ago Berry met with a savvy group of invited citizens (see list above), to answer questions and discuss various local political issues. 
 
No political beat reporters were invited. No television journalists were invited. No recordings of the confab were allowed. The conversation went on from 7:30 p.m until 9 p.m.

To break the ice, Berry was asked about his high-visibility advocacy for building a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom. Why did he support the Shockoe Stadium concept so vigorously? And, what had he learned from its failure to gather sufficient support?

When it was announced to the public in December of 2013, Berry explained, he thought the plan for Shockoe Bottom put forth by Mayor Dwight Jones was a good proposal. It seems Berry may still think it was the right thing to do, but what has changed in his mind is that he now better understands what the nature of the opposition was ... and remains. 
 
Thus, Berry admitted to the group sitting around a table that he misjudged what the size of the opposition truly was. It seems that early on he gathered the opposition was mostly a collection of activists, akin to an Occupy/99 percent crowd. Conveniently, Berry thought the majority of Richmonders either supported Jones' plan or were indifferent. He allowed that now he knows better. 
 
Yes, having faced what proved to have been widespread disapproval, coming from different angles, Berry now seems to accept that it was not smart to have stuck with defending Mayor Jones' plan as long as he did. 
 
For my part, I must say I was impressed with Berry's ability to answer questions without playing games. While I may have disagreed with him on several issues, I appreciated his forthrightness. Truth be told, I still disagree with him on plenty, but I have new hope that as mayor, he would be prone to listening to people other than the country club set. 
 
Moreover, Berry seemed fairly relaxed and showed a sense of humor. Not that he made many jokes, but he laughed spontaneously at the laugh-worthy cracks others made.

So, I left the meeting with fresh respect for Jack Berry. He seemed to understand the duties and requirements of the job he is seeking. If he wins, I don't doubt he can handle it. Which would be a big improvement over our current situation at City Hall. Sure, that can probably be said about some number of his opponents, as well. Perhaps one of those opponents will agree to sit in the chair for a Bijou Salon soon.
 
Nonetheless and fortunately, for the sake of the next Bijou Salon, I remain undecided about which mayoral candidate will get my vote on November 8. A more detailed account of the first Bijou Salon will eventually be published.

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'The Lovers and the Despot'

On Fri., Oct. 14 and Sat., Oct. 15, in its screening room at 304 E. Broad St., the Bijou Film Center will present a first-run documentary/thriller that's getting a lot of notice since its release last month -- “The Lovers and the Despot.”

Admission: $9. No advance tickets.

Friday show times: 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

Saturday show times: 4:15 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

“The Lovers and the Despot” (2016): Color. 98 minutes. Directed by Robert Cannan and Ross Adam.

Note: In 1978 North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il acted upon his frustration with his country's movie industry, or lack thereof. Ever the film buff, Kim kidnapped a renown director and a beloved actress who were South Korean celebrities. The despot declared them to be his personal filmmakers. The pair was forced to make movies, all the while planning their escape.

No, this isn't the plot of an off-the-wall romp – a fantasy just for laughs. It's the documentary about Shin Sang-ok and his wife, Choi Eun-hee that wowed viewers at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

“This real-life romantic thriller/escape saga is essential stranger-than-fiction viewing.” – Justin Change, Variety.

The trailer is here.

Beer, wine and soft drinks will be for sale.