Mayor Avula talks reelection, reopening Observation Deck in Reddit AMA
Mayor Avula's "Ask Me Anything" thread on RVA Reddit this week is offering a snapshot of where Richmonders stand after his first 100-ish days in office.
Why it matters: It's been a long 100 days.
The big picture: Questions in the thread, which has nearly 600 comments, revolved largely around housing, cost of living, transportation, speeding, gun violence, frustration with city services and the budget.
Zoom in: We combed through the responses and found some gems Avula sprinkled into his responses, from the "serious" to how much he tips.
The serious:
🏃 He plans to run for reelection (a common thing Richmond mayors do).
🏢 The Department of General Services is working on a plan that could include reopening access to the Observation Deck at City Hall, which has been closed since 2020.
🏠 He's hoping the zoning ordinance rewrite will help reduce rents by making it easier to build more housing.
💰 The city is also considering the idea of "tiny homes" to help with the affordable housing crisis.
🏗️ He still wants to do something about the area around the Coliseum, years after City Council killed the controversial Navy Hill project.
The lighthearted:
❤️ He has weekly date nights with his wife, a few weekly family dinners and goes to his kids' games when he can.
💀 When asked if he could confirm whether or not you can get chlamydia from the James River, he said, "Depends on what you're doing in the river?"
🎭 Former Mayor Stoney gave Avula "a massive poster of his face for me to admire" as a prank before leaving office.
💅🏼 He tips 20%, minimum.
🍽️ His go-to restaurants when out-of-town friends are visiting: Heritage, L'Opossum, Grisette, and Edo's.
🦅 He's an Eagles fan.
The immediate future:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Santa Monica's outdoor drinking zone now open
The Brief A soft launch of Santa Monica's Entertainment Zone began Friday, June 13, allowing people to drink on the street. Adults can purchase a drink from a local business and consume it outside between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The goal of the Entertainment Zone is to increase business in the area. LOS ANGELES - You can now shop, drink, and eat on Third Street Promenade. Santa Monica's Entertainment Zone, which allows for drinking alcohol outdoors, opened with a soft launch Friday, June 13. What we know Adults will be able to purchase a drink from a participating, licensed business and consume it outside between 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The soft launch has limited hours. The outdoor drinking must be done within the entertainment zone boundaries and participants must display a city-approved wristband distributedby the licensed businesses. The city council approved the zone in May as part of a broader effort to increase business on the promenade. RELATED:Santa Monica turns 3rd Street Promenade into entertainment zone with open alcohol rules "Initially proposed just for events, the vision for the Entertainment Zone has updated hours and activations to allow brunch guests and daytime visitors to partake ... while they enjoy Santa Monica's beautiful weather and outdoor entertainment,'' according to a city statement. "The Entertainment Zone will be in full swing during the annual Pride on the Promenade event, Santa Monica's premier Pride celebration on Saturday, June 21, from 2-7 p.m.'' Businesses participating include: 1212, Barney's Beanery, Cabo Cantina, Casa Martin, Holey Moley and Pickle Pop. What they're saying City leaders say Santa Monica's Entertainment Zone is the first in Southern California and was made possible by state Senate Bill 969, which allows local governments to create designated outdoor areas where open containers of alcoholic beverages can be consumed if bought from participating restaurants and bars. SUGGESTED: Bay Cities Deli closed: Beloved Santa Monica bakery addresses closure Waymo responds to noise complaints from Santa Monica residents "Santa Monica is continuing to re-imagine the experience on the Third Street Promenade,' Mayor Lana Negrete said in a statement. ''As a small business owner myself, I can say from experience that a rising tide lifts all boats, and bringing interest and vitality to our downtown will be felt across our city's business community as a whole.'' For the soft opening, the zone will operate from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Entertainment Zone participants must be wearing a city-approved wristband distributed by a participating business and abide by the Entertainment Zone rules. The Source Information for this story came from the City of Santa Monica. City News Service contributed.
CBS News
12-06-2025
- CBS News
Veteran, Jeopardy winner and the first Indian American elected to Frisco City Council
He's a military veteran, a game show winner and now the first Indian American elected to Frisco's city council. Whether it was joining the Navy only months before 9/11 or winning the very last episode of Jeopardy hosted by Alex Trebek, Burt Thakur's life seems to involve a lot of fateful timing. "The one thing that a lot of people got anchored to was that my story was the quintessential American dream," said Thakur. "And as somebody who immigrated here, I learned how to speak English by watching Alex Trebek." Thakur shared that emotional story and became part of game show history. Five years later, the time was right for the 42-year-old engineer to make political history in Frisco. He pulled off an upset on Saturday by beating an incumbent to earn a seat on the city council. "[I] 100% expected to win," Thakur said. "I mean, our campaign did so much work. We knocked on thousands of doors. I think one of the coolest things about the campaign was I had never sent out an attack ad." Thakur is also the first Indian American to get elected to public office in Frisco, a community that makes up 15% of the city's population. "Well, I'll tell you what, I'm confident that my win energized the Indian American community for sure," Thakur said. "I think it not just energized the Indian community, but a lot of our community got energized. I think we had some of the highest turnouts in Frisco races in the last couple of years, but specifically for the Indian community." Thakur believes Frisco voters from all backgrounds voted for him because he wants the city to focus more on meeting the needs of its residents rather than trying to appeal to visitors. "Understanding that we are a city of almost 250,000 people and we don't have an animal shelter," said Thakur. "We don't have a VA clinic. We have 8 to 10,000 kids here who have autism and severe learning disabilities, and parents don't have relief. And conversely, we have a large geriatric population that doesn't have an adult or geriatric care facility. And at the same time, driving down the road, I lose my cell phone signal." As for his political future, Thakur wants to prove to others and himself that he can succeed in city government first. "I don't think my wife wants me to run for office right now," he said. "Can we have that conversation in like in the last year? Because maybe I'll suck, you know, I don't know. Hey, I'm being serious. You know, I don't know if I'm going to be good. I want to be good ... I want the whole my whole job is to make sure that people now can dream bigger, that they have somebody who's an advocate for them to pursue their highest excellence. I say, what's wrong? What's wrong with thinking big?"
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Yahoo
Taylor mayor acknowledges ‘uproar' over Pride proclamation denial, calls it ‘partisan issue'
TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) — The mayor of Taylor, Texas, has doubled down on a decision to deny signing an official proclamation acknowledging June as Pride Month, just weeks ahead of an annual Pride festival in the city. Mayor Dwayne Ariola made a Facebook post about it on Wednesday, saying he wanted to 'address recent concerns regarding the Pride Proclamation and clarify the position of my office and the City Council.' Previous coverage | Taylor Pride denied city proclamation after 4 years of approvals, sparking backlash, petition The City Council is a nonpartisan body, and it is my strong belief that we should remain focused on representing all residents, without stepping into issues that are clearly divisive along partisan lines. The recent uproar—on both sides—regarding this proclamation request makes it clear that this has become a partisan issue, and as such, I do not believe it would be appropriate for a nonpartisan council. Dwayne Ariola, Mayor of the City of Taylor, Texas, via Facebook Earlier this month, non-profit organization Taylor Pride posted on social media about Ariola's decision to deny a request from a resident for an official Pride Month proclamation. The group also created a petition online pushing for Ariola to reverse the denial. As of Thursday morning, the petition had more than 1,600 signatures. Taylor Pride is the group behind organizing the city's annual Pride celebration. This year, the Taylor Pride Music and Arts Festival will be held Saturday, June 28, at Heritage Square Park, marking its fifth anniversary. Ariola also said in the Facebook post that the permits for the annual Pride celebration were approved, saying, 'I fully support the right of individuals to celebrate and express themselves freely,' and that the only difference this year is that there will not be a signed mayoral proclamation. Taylor was the first Williamson County city to host an official Pride celebration back in 2021. Other area cities, like Georgetown, Leander, and Cedar Park, followed suit. Since the first Taylor Pride celebration, the city has received a Pride Proclamation yearly, signed by former Mayor Brandt Rydell. This is the first year in the last four that an official Pride Proclamation has been denied for the city of Taylor. The city of Taylor earlier this month sent KXAN the email correspondence between Mayor Ariola and the person who submitted the proclamation application this year. An email from Ariola stated his initial reasoning for denying the application was that there are other 'unifying observances' during the month, such as Juneteenth and the birthday of former Texas Gov. Dan Moody, who is a Taylor native. Taylor Pride organizers and other community members are planning to show up to the city's council meeting Thursday evening to voice concerns over the mayor's decision. Neighboring Williamson County cities Cedar Park and Georgetown are set to issue proclamations recognizing Pride month. Cedar Park will issue a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month at its city council meeting Thursday evening, according to the council's agenda. Georgetown is set to proclaim June as Pride Month on Friday, June 20. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
