The paperwork is in, and the Council & School Board candidates are official. Council-wise, Kathy Graziano will run unopposed in the 4th while Marty Jewell has 2 competitors, realtor Mark E. Brandon and Lee Shewmake (a name that should be familiar to area residents) in the 5th. 9th District incumbent Doug Conner also has 2 competitors, former School Board rep and City Councilman Eugene Mason and Adrian R. Preston.

On the School Board side, the 4th District race should prove to be interesting. Regular readers are by now getting familiar with Bert Berlin. Jon Mallard, John Lloyd and Adria Graham Scott are also in, making this the most crowded school board race of the year. 5th District incumbent Betsy Carr has one challenger, Rev. Otis Mallory, while Evette Wilson runs unapposed in the 9th.

And on a related note, the good folks at the Virginia Public Access Project have already started adding contribution data for council races.

Richmond City Council last night passed legislation making it illegal to chain up a dog outside for more than an hour. It’s hardly breaking news at this point, but I thought it warranted a mention in the context of our neighborhoods. I see on a regular basis a large number of dogs in my neighborhood (Forest View) and others nearby (Northrup & Jahnke particularly) tied up for hours at a time, usually with little shelter or water. Typically, they’re pit bulls or rottweilers and the owners, when present, clearly have little regard for the animals beyond owning a “status symbol.” In the end, I suspect this law won’t do much to change things, but at least it might bring a little lasting attention to an issue that usually gets swept under the rug.