Talk:Charlottesville City Council (1889–1900)

As someone who ordinarily finds local government to be far too convoluted of a subject to sit still long enough to learn all of its intricacies, I just wanted to say that I have greatly enjoyed this particular series of articles on the history of the Charlottesville City Council. Having the option to read through succinct descriptions of the inner workings of the city's governance during specific eras in the past is, in my opinion, a boon that cannot be overstated. Welder20 (talk) 21:45, 18 March 2024 (EDT)

Please let me know if you have any comments on improving the organization or clarity/linking of the articles...it is still a work in progress. These series of articles were in response to a request on User:Seantubbs page: "I would like to have a complete list of all Albemarle County Supervisors and City Councilors". I had though the lists would be a short simple project until I started reading the city charters and decided to organize the councilors by their membership in the different forms of government - trustees, ward system, city manager. If you find these article of interest, I would like to suggest sitting through a few pages of "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro. At nearly 1,300 pages, it tells the story of how Moses, a New York City urban planner, never elected to any office, used his mastery of power to reshape the face of the New York. I am still trying to find time to completely finish my well-worn 1970's hardbound edition. ~ Jmh6d (talk) 23:16, 21 March 2024 (EDT)

P.S. Have you discovered which former mayor kept a tame bear that frequently escaped and bothered his neighbors? ~ Jmh6d (talk) 23:22, 21 March 2024 (EDT)

The method of organization that you have adopted for this series of articles appears to be very sound to me due to the aforementioned reasons. I have thought hard about how to further develop these pages, and the only possible improvement I could suggest is perhaps including a section in each article detailing the most important matters (no more than 3–5 max) that each City Council engaged with throughout its existence, thus conveniently painting a picture of local governance in action during the relevant time periods.' Of course, for the majority of the articles it would be impossible to objectively determine which issues were the "most important" at any given point of time (and in any case the emphasis of the pages is rightly on the elected officials themselves and their roles within the council rather than a history of their actual doings in the manner of the Chronology articles), so such a change could very well end up being detrimental to the razor-sharp focus possessed by the pages in their current forms.

Robert Caro's "The Power Broker" sounds like a fascinating book to me from your description; it undoubtedly will be a good read for me when the summer months finally roll around. I have heard of Robert Moses in passing before, but was never aware of the disproportionate degree of political influence that he exerted in New York City during the height of his power. As for the former mayor who kept a tame bear, I must confess that I have never even heard of this individual until now. Their story sounds very intriguing to me! Welder20 (talk) 14:15, 26 March 2024 (EDT)

The text box at the top of the page seems an excellent addition to me! Adds very interesting and relevant information on contemporary political happenings without detracting from the central focus on the elected officials themselves. Welder20 (talk) 21:56, 27 March 2024 (EDT)

Regarding your comment: including a section in each article detailing the most important matters (no more than 3–5 max) that each City Council engaged with throughout its existence, thus conveniently painting a picture of local governance in action during the relevant time periods.' That had been one of my initial goals - until I realized I do not have the writing talent for reducing many facts into a good summary read...which probably explains redundancy in my articles - I don't know how to condense. I look at my contribution to Cvillepedia as a research assistant with no aspiration of being a professional writer. Thank you! your suggestions gave me an idea for a new article which may shed more light on which issues were the "most important" at any given point of time. ~ Jmh6d (talk) 00:43, 28 March 2024 (EDT)

Happy to be of service! While I certainly believe you're a better writer than you give yourself credit for, I absolutely agree with your point on Cvillepedia being capable of being worked on by so many individuals with different interests and from such a wide range of backgrounds. That, in my opinion, has always been one of the greatest beauties of the project. Welder20 (talk) 23:46, 28 March 2024 (EDT)