Good Afternoon!

I hope you are enjoying the end of summer and taking in the remaining long days of light. My runs in the morning now start in the dark again but while running we (my running group) see beautiful sunrises. Our run often lands us at the Chrysler Museum at sunrise. The colors in the sky are just breathtaking. Running in the morning and seeing the sites of the city is yet another reason why I love Norfolk.

As some of you may know, Norfolk City Manager Doug Smith accepted a position to lead the Hampton Roads Economic Development Alliance (HREDA). While it is unfortunate for Norfolk to lose Doug as City Manager, we will gain as a region with his work at HREDA with his expertise in regionalism and economic development. And, I am happy to share that we have hired Dr. Larry “Chip” Filer as our new city manager. Chip comes to us from Old Dominion University (ODU) where he served as Associate Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. He was instrumental in the development of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and has worked with Norfolk on resiliency efforts. I am excited to work with Chip and to further our relationship with Old Dominion University.

I must commend Ms. Joan Brock who donated $3M to create the Coastal Resiliency Institute at ODU. This gift was recently announced at the ODU State of the University Address by President John Broderick. From this Institute will come many initiatives that we can implement in Norfolk to address flooding, sea-level rise and other issues of resilience.

I wish all families and students the best as we enter a new school year. See the picture below of the chickens at the Maury High School chicken coop. I was out early one morning and came across the chickens, beehives and other wonderful outdoor nature wonders at our own Maury! Education is a vital component to our community. I love that Maury has students caring for the chickens and experiencing nature in our urban city.

I enjoyed walking through the Lambert’s Point neighborhood on National Night Out. My niece, Caroline, was working in Norfolk for the week and she came along with me for the evening. I love sharing my city life with family that visit and I always try to include them when they are local.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has many locations throughout the U.S. but their mid-Atlantic site is right here in Norfolk-Ward 2. I learned more about the excellent work of NOAA during a tour in August along with Congresswoman Elaine Luria, Congressman Bobby Scott and Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria McClellan.

National Dog Day was just a few days ago. My sweet boy Grady is almost 2 but still all puppy.

Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!

Cheers!