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Charlottesville Community EngagementInformation and context about how and why things get built in Central Virginia, a service of Town Crier Productions Author: Town Crier Productions
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January 17, 2026: Abigail Spanberger is sworn in as Virginia’s 75th Governor
Saturday, 17 January, 2026
Today’s edition is sponsored by the Ragged Mountain Running and Walking ShopThere are very few editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement that are sent out on a Saturday but there’s enough new information to tell you so here we are. Today is the first day of the administration of Governor Abigail Spanberger and there have already been some big changes. I’m Sean Tubbs and it’s January 17, 2026.In this edition:* Abigail Spanberger is now Virginia’s 75th Governor* There are several media reports that at least three members of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors has resigned at Spanberger’s request* The Virginia General Assembly has set the stage for a Constitutional amendment this spring for a Congressional redistricting with debate in both the House of Delegates and the Virginia SenateCharlottesville Community Engagement is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Corrections to start:* In the January 16, 2026 edition, I misidentified Charlottesville’s delegation to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. They are Jen Fleisher and Michael Payne.First-shout: Charlottesville Community Bikes seeing volunteers for the Charlottesville Ten MilerThe Charlottesville Ten Miler is fast-approaching so there’s plenty of time to get training. Or so I keep telling myself. Or perhaps you’d like to help out on March 28 and witness thousands of people moving through the streets of our community as they raise money for local groups?Charlottesville Community Bikes is one of the beneficiaries of this year’s Ten Miler and their level of support depends on how many people they can get to volunteer for any number of duties. If you’d like to learn more, visit the Ten Miler website and sign up if you’d like to get involved. Volunteers are encouraged to select “Anywhere You Need Me” for the greatest impact.Spanberger takes office as Virginia’s 75th governorThe first woman to serve as the Governor of Virginia took the oath of office at the State Capitol this afternoon after winning the election last November.Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears with over 57 percent of the vote.“Neighbors, friends, and our fellow Virginians. It is my honor to be with all of you today,” said Governor Spanberger. “An inauguration ceremony like this one, with all its tradition and pageantry, represents something profound and in its origin, something uniquely American, the peaceful transfer of power.”Spanberger said the tradition began when George Washington, a Virginian, opted to step down after two terms as President. She thanked former Governor Glenn Youngkin for his service, as well as the time that former Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and former Attorney General Jason Miyares put in while in office.Spanberger also thanked generations that came before her that worked to ensure that women have the right not only to vote but also to hold office.“But who could only dream of a day like today?” Spanberger asked. “I stand before those who made it possible for a woman to also participate in that peaceful transfer of power and take that oath.”Spanberger noted that this is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, drawing attention to Thomas Jefferson’s role as Virginia’s second governor. The first was Patrick Henry, who was sworn in in 1776.“Governor Henry is best known for his call against tyranny at St. John’s Church, just up the road, words that helped launch the American Revolution,” Spanberger said. “But in his final public speech delivered in Virginia Years later in 1799, he made an appeal to his fellow citizens, warning against the divisions that were threatening our young country. His appeal remains timeless. He said, united we stand, divided we fall, Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”Spanberger noted that the steps of the Virginia capitol were used by suffragists to lobby for the right for women to vote, a request denied for many years until 1920 when the U.S. Constitution was amended. She also noted that Virginia did not ratify the 19th Amendment until 1952.The new governor also noted that Virginia decided to call itself a Commonwealth upon independence and not just a state.“What’s the difference?,” Spanberger said. “We, kids, pay attention. Someone may ask you this eventually. There’s no difference. There is no difference in how we operate or function as a state. The difference lies in the intentions of our forefathers and the choice to indicate that here our government should serve the common good. That the voices of everyday Virginians, not kings, not aristocrats, not oligarchs, should. That the voices of everyday Virginian should drive us forward and that our prosperity depends on that union.”Turning to policy and the future, Spanberger said she would help guide Virginia during a time when the federal government is seeking to end support for rural hospitals, support for health care, and other outcomes sought by the current administration.“I know that some who are here today or watching from home may disagree with the litany in of challenges and the hardships that I laid out,” Spanberger said. “Your perspective may differ from mine, but that does not preclude us from working together where we may find common cause.”Spanberger said she looks forward to working with the General Assembly over the next four years and thanked her Cabinet for being willing to serve.“As we mark 250 years since the dawn of American freedom, what will our children, our grandchildren and their descendants write about this time in our Commonwealth’s history? This chapter, 50, 100, 250 years from now, will they say that we let divisions fester or challenges overwhelm us? Or will they say that we stood up for what is right, fixed what is broken, and served the common good?”You can watch the entire inauguration ceremony on VPM or read the remarks on the website of the 75th Governor.Thanks for reading Charlottesville Community Engagement ! This post is public so feel free to share it.Several members of the Board of Visitors have resigned at Spanberger’s requestThe Cavalier Daily is reporting that four members of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors have resigned following a request from Governor Abigail Spanberger before she was sworn in.Shortly after Spanberger was elected, she asked the Board of Visitors to suspend a search for a new president following the resignation of Jim Ryan in June 2025. Former Governor Glenn Youngkin told her to stop interfering and the Board hired Scott Beardsley on December 19. Beardsley resigned as Dean of the Darden School of Business to take the job.The Board was already down to 12 appointees, all named by Youngkin, following the failure of five new nominees to get confirmed by the General Assembly.Rector Rachel Sheridan, Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson, and member Paul Manning all resigned on Friday. The New York Times reports that Doug Wetmore resigned today and their earlier reporting Spanberger has also asked Stephen Long to resign.The Cavalier Daily obtained a copy of Sheridan’s resignation letter to Youngkin that blamed “political warfare” for the Board’s inability to stabilize a University community where several groups expressed concern that Beardsley was appointed without their input. On Thursday, the Faculty Senate adopted a resolution calling for Spanberger to act.“The Faculty Senate calls upon Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger to exercise her statutory authority, review the actions of current Board members,remove those whose conduct has fallen short of the responsibilities of Visitors, and appoint qualified individuals to fill all vacancies on the Board,” reads one part of the resolution.The resolution also asks the new Board of Visitors to review the search process to determine if there need to be changes.As of publication, the Board of Visitors website has not yet been updated to reflect any resignations. However, Deputy Spokeswoman Bethanie Glover confirmed the four resignations.“President Beardsley and University leaders thank them for their service to UVA,” reads a brief statement sent in response to a query.The University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors is next scheduled to meet on March 5. This is a developing story.Soon after being sworn in, Spanberger signed ten executive orders. One of them seeks reform of the way that members of governing bodies of state institutions of higher learning are appointed. For more details, visit the Virginia Political Newsletter.Second shout-out: Alliance Française de CharlottesvilleThe Alliance Française de Charlottesville promotes the French language and francophone culture through educational and cultural programs. Visit the Alliance Française website to learn more about group classes, private lessons, cultural events, and social activities for both kids and adults.Special election on redistricting highly likely this spring on new Congressional maps in VirginiaThe Virginia General Assembly has set the stage for a special election this spring in which voters will be asked whether they would allow the state legislature to redraw the Commonwealth’s Congressional districts in order to elect more Democrats.The move is a response to efforts by President Donald Trump to urge Republican-led legislatures across the nation to redraw boundaries for the House of Representatives to guarantee members of his party win.So far, both Texas and California have moved ahead with new maps.This week both the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates kicked the 2026 legislative session off by passing a second reference of a Constitutional amendment to set up that ballot question. Under Virginia’s Constitution, the legislature must agree to the amendment twice with a House of Delegates election in between before it goes to voters.Democrats took advantage of a special session from 2024 that had never ended to convene last October to hold the first reference in the House of Delegates and the Senate. Democrats then picked up an additional 13 seats in the House of Delegates.The House of Delegates passed the second reference on January 14 after about 20 minutes of debate. Delegate Rodney Willett (D-58) is the chief patron of House Joint Resolution 4 which will allow for a one-time redistricting outside of the decennial reapportionment process.“This keeps Virginia’s options open,” Willett said. “This would enable us to preserve flexibility. If the people approve it and then we implement it, we could make redistricting decisions but there’s no mandate here to do so.”Willett said the Virginia Redistricting Commission would do the work of redrawing Congressional lines in 2031 after the next Census.Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-45) said the General Assembly should not overturn the will of voters who approved a Constitutional amendment in 2020 to give the power to draw Congressional districts to the bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Committee.“We shouldn’t care about what other states are doing,” Kilgore said. “We should care about what Virginia is doing, what message we’re sending to our constituents.”Kilgore urged his colleagues to follow the lead of Indiana where a redistricting push failed in December. In both the Indiana House and the Senate, some Republicans joined with Democrats to vote against an effort to redraw lines. (learn more on Wikipedia)Delegate Wren Williams (R-47) rose to ask a question of Willett.“In 2020, nearly two-thirds of Virginia told us they wanted politics out of our map making,” Williams said. “Why would we reverse course now even under what is alleged to be a carve out for extraordinary emergencies?”Willett said this is a measure in response to a president who has demanded state institutions make changes for his benefit.“Our hand was forced here by the extraordinary actions coming from Washington by a president who contacted not one, not two, but multiple states and directed them to redistrict and change the election picture and essentially disenfranchise Virginia voters and other states that would vote Democratic,” Willett said. “We couldn’t stand for that. When a bully punches you, sometimes you have to punch back.”Delegate Tom Garrett (R-56) argued that it would be Virginia Republicans who would be disenfranchised if lines are drawn to give Democrats an advantage. He ran through a list of states that are pursuing redistricting.“California, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Utah, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Florida, Maryland, Alabama, Louisiana, New York, North Dakota have all either done this or are looking at doing it,” Garrett said. “You know what makes Virginia different? We are the only state on the list that I named that had a constitutional amendment that passed in 99 out of 100 House of Delegates districts five short years ago.”Delegate Mark Sickles (D-17) reminded his colleagues that the Virginia Redistricting Commission failed to complete their job in October 2021.“That commission did not work like we hoped it would,” Sickles said. “And having a bipartisan thing, a group of Democrats and Republicans and citizens come up with these districts, it did not work. The court drew these seats. So I don’t know how much reverence we have for that. But this is an emergency. If this is not an emergency for American democracy, I don’t know what is.”Delegate Mark Simon (D-13) noted that if Virginia voters don’t want to change the districts, they can vote accordingly.“You know what happens after this resolution passes?” Simon asked. “There’s a referendum. We get to go back to the voters again and they’re the ones who get to decide what we do going forward.”The vote was 62 in favor, 33 against, one abstention, and four not voting.A look at what other states are up to:Before we go over to the Senate, let’s go through some of what can be known about other states listed by Delegate Garrett.* In November, voters in California approved Proposition 50 with 64.42 percent of the vote that redrew lines to target several Republican incumbents. (learn more on Wikipedia)* In Missouri, the legislature approved a new map for Congressional boundaries last September intended to reduce Democratic representation but a citizens group called People not Politicians are trying to force a referendum. Take a look at this January 9, 2026 story in the Missouri Independent for more information.* The North Carolina legislature approved a map in October 2025 designed to make it more difficult for one Democratic incumbent to get re-elected. Learn more in this Associated Press article from then. The situation in Utah is different as there were already legal clouds over redistricting related to an attempt to create an independent commission in 2018. According to an article by Katie McKeller in the Utah News Dispatch, a judge ordered a new map that would likely lead to one Democratic seat. Republicans are challenging.* The Texas legislature adopted a map last August intended to give Republicans five additional seats and this was briefly thrown out by a federal court. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled voted 6-3 to allow the new map to proceed. (learn more on Wikipedia)* The Ohio Redistricting Commission adopted a new map last October that gives Republicans an advantage. They did so before the legislature was set to do it themselves, reports Jeremy Pelzer for cleveland.com.* Some Democrats in Washington want to redraw the maps, but Scott Greenstone of KUOW reports there are obstacles to getting that done in 2026.* The situation in Louisiana is more complicated and I refer you to Ballotpedia.* New York Governor Kathy Hochul is exploring the idea of redistricting, reports Kate Lisa for Spectrum News.* North Dakota only has one Congressional District making redistricting irrelevant. Learn more on Ballotpedia.Senate DebateThe Virginia Senate took about 40 minutes on January 16 to go through the debate with Senator Christopher Head (R-3) introducing several amendments to House Joint Resolution 4. He made many of the same arguments as his colleagues in the House, arguing that voters had agreed to place the power of redistricting to a commission after the General Assembly gave them that choice in 2020.“Some of you weren’t here then, but if you voted for it then and you thought that was a good idea because it was your ethics and your beliefs and they were foundational and fundamental,” Head said. “But now, because you hate the man that’s in the White House, and that’s really the only thing that’s behind this, is that you hate the man that’s in the White House and you want to blunt his power, then we’re going to politically gerrymander and take away the rights of the people to have representation that represents them.”Senator Scott Surovell (D-34) said that Head’s amendments should have been made on first reference. He said he did not support the creation of the Virginia Redistricting Commission but he could understand how those who did might change their mind now.“They didn’t imagine that we’re going to have a hyper-partisan fascist ideologue telling state legislatures around the country to basically redesign their districts to maximize his own personal political power,” Surovell said. “And to the extent anybody even thought about that, I think most people thought that there were people of principle in the Republican party that would stand up to it because they cared about the rule of law or system of government preserving democracy.”Head did not receive enough votes for his amendments.Surovell said he wished he did not have to support this move but felt there was no other choice.“When other states manipulate their maps to gain unfair advantage, we don’t just harm,” Surovell said. “They don’t just harm their own voters. They also harm Virginia’s ability to have its fair representation in Congress. We’re simply seeking to level the playing field in Congress which has already been. Which is being tilted against us and our state.Senator Mark Peake (R-22) wanted to know what would happen if voters approve the redistricting.“Do we come back into special session after the citizens have voted to draw the new congressional districts?” Peake asked.Surovell said there are still remaining questions to be answered but the maps would be available for the public to review before the referendum.Peake said if this passes, Democrats will do what they can to hold on to power.“You’re going to do away with bipartisan redistricting,” Peake said. “You’re going to try and put us in a 10 to 1 Democrat to Republican congressional districts, and then you’re going to again resume gerrymandering the entire Commonwealth.”Senator Ryan McDougle (R-26) urged Democrats in Virginia to follow what some of the Republicans did in the Indiana legislature when they stopped a gerrymander.“Republicans in Indiana stood up to political pressure and said we’re not going to play these political games,” McDougle said.In the Indiana House, 57 Republicans voted for the redistricting and 12 voted against, joining 29 Democrats. In the Senate, 21 Republicans joined 10 Democrats against the redistricting, and 19 Republicans voted for it.Senator Bill Stanley (R-7) pointed out that President Trump is unpopular, citing Democrats picking up 13 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates this past November.“It seems to me what this kerfuffle is all about is because the current president has encouraged some states to change their congressional makeups and the lines,” Stanley said. “The last time I checked, when he was elected in 2016. In 2018, Madam President, the Democrats picked up, I think 41 seats in Congress.”That appears to be accurate per Wikipedia.Senator Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-16) agreed that Trump is unpopular and said that is why is is seeking to redraw lines across the country.“As is so often true over the last 10 years of politics, every accusation is a confession,” VanValkenburg said. “The other side mistakes their inability to. To push back against the craziness of our current president for how we will act or are acting.”The vote in the senate was 21 to 18 with one abstention.What questions do you have?(image) The current Congressional lines in Virginia. Image by Wikipedia user Twotwofourtsix.Let’s say a few things about #986I had not intended to do a second podcast today but I feel it is important for Virginians to hear the voices of people in our government. I also got caught up in the moment. I remember attending the inauguration of Governor Mark Warner as a reporter back when that happened.At the time I really thought I would have a career in public radio, but my desire for longer and longer stories met up against their need for shorter and shorter ones. When it was clear I was not going to get a job in the field, I tried to create my own. After fits and starts, here we are.I’m not going to any gala or celebration today. I’m going to keep working as that’s what I want to do more. I’ve got to get the Week Ahead out tomorrow, write two stories for C-Ville Weekly and finish up a cover story article that I am procrastinating on. Never underestimate the power of procrastination, dear reader!But I need some music to get me through and the DJs from Buenos Aires strike again! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe
