Happy Friday Second District! 

In today's newsletter, we share information about the special election for the 4th Congressional seat, provide updates on the removal of the A.P. Hill monument and the Monument & Allen circle, and more. As always, be sure to check out the bulletin board for updated public health guidance, events, and engagement opportunities. 

Special Election Information
All City of Richmond voters have an opportunity to vote in the special election to succeed the late Congressman A. Donald McEachin. While the state-run special election will not be held until February 21st, the party nominating processes start tomorrow. 

The party nomination processes are not state-run, and will both function very differently from normal elections. You can check out info on the Democratic firehouse primary on Tuesday here, and tomorrow's (Saturday's) Republican canvass here. You can also find information on times, locations, and manner of voting for both nominating contests via the City of Richmond Registrar's Twitter page, here. (As of this writing, this information has not been shared on their other platforms) 

I will be proudly casting my vote in Tuesday's Democratic firehouse primary for my neighbor, State Senator, and Second District constituent, Jennifer McClellan. If you are interested in how you can support Senator McClellan, you can check out her webpage here. 

A.P. Hill & Allen Circle Updates
City Departments and contractors have been working throughout the week to quickly remove the A.P. Hill monument, relocate the remains of A.P. Hill, and restore the intersection at Laburnum and Hermitage. We are working with neighbors, DPW, contractors, and the Police Department to ensure that detour routing is responsive to community feedback, that proper signage is utilized, and that traffic enforcement is in place to prevent speeding and reckless driving through residential side streets. 

We will continue to provide updates on the progress that the City is making, but we hope to have normal traffic flow restored in the coming days. Stay tuned to DPW's traffic advisory page for updates. We appreciate everyone's patience, and look forward to working with Councilor Lambert and residents on further improving the safety of the intersection moving forward. 

In related news, following Planning Commission's approval of plans for temporary landscaping at the Monument & Allen circle earlier this Fall, the hope was to have irrigation work and landscaping done by the end of the year. Because of the lack of planting inventory late in the planting season, and other logistical difficulties, DPW has not yet begun that work. As we go into the new year, we expect to see DPW out in the circle working on fixing the irrigation system, followed by planting and landscaping in the early Spring. Once that work is completed, the fencing and jersey barriers will be removed. If you have questions about this ongoing project, you can contact DPW here. 

Holiday Schedule
I want to share some updates on the Second District schedule over the coming days as we head into the holidays.

First, today's newsletter will be the last regular Friday newsletter of the year. You'll be hearing from us on Wednesday of next week with a special end-of-year Second District community survey focusing on improving our communication and engagement, soliciting feedback on legislative issues, and seeking input on budget priorities going into the budget season.

Our offices will be closed starting Thursday, December 22nd, and we will be back in the office on January 2nd. There will be no more meetings of Council until the new year.

Have a wonderful and festive weekend! 

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