The City Council Is Your Worst Enemy

After a successful career as an economist, attorney, real estate investor, and high school teacher, Stanton Braverman moves to Charlottesville as a part of his retirement plan. Up until then, everything went his way. But in Charlottesville, things went wrong. It did not make sense. Why did the city not care about the redevelopment of the Belmont neighborhood? While it was on the wrong side of the railroad tracks that ran through the town and home to many of the urban poor, it had a lot going for itself at a time when most cities were developing neglected neighborhoods. But Charlottesville was not interested in this development and was active in trying to curb any turnaround. For the author, this was crazy. Braverman fought with the city council about their neglect of the community. At the same time, the urban renewal movement caught on in Belmont—houses were remodeled and real estate values increased at startling rates. The area became charming, and tourists wanted to be there. And yet the council did not care. They were being obstructionists. They continuously misled the community about condemned bridges that resulted in a fight over the rezoning of a residential area and a court fight over a fresh water dam worth thirty-one million dollars that was not needed. In the story, Braverman tries to figure out why his house and his neighborhood are ground zero for such a battle with the council. He shows how the council’s inability to connect with the community led to the violent riots over the removal of the statute of Robert E. Lee. Moreover, he concludes that when the council fully understands what was happening, then the war between the council and the neighborhood will end peacefully.