2018

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Events

2018

• January 3 – At the first regular meeting of the Charlottesville City Council (2018-2019), councilor Nikuyah Walker was elected to serve as mayor (Ayes: Bellamy, Hill, Signer, Walker; Noes: Galvin).
• January 8 – Albemarle County signs lease with Commonwealth of Virginia to operate Biscuit Run Park.
• TBD – City Attorney Craig Brown left the position to become city attorney of Manassas, Virginia. (He would be succeeded by John Blair in August.) Brown began his tenure with the City of Manassas on February 20, 2018.

• March 3 – Adam Hastings resigns from the Charlottesville School Board.

• March 15 – At around 1:40 p.m., 53-year-old Patrick N. McKenzie was crossing Market Street at Sixth Street Northeast after walking out of the Market Street Parking Garage in downtown Charlottesville. A city-owned vehicle driven by Alexander Ikefuna, Director of the Department of Neighborhood Development Services, struck McKenzie and dashed him to the pavement.
• May 15 – City Manager Maurice Jones recommended Brackney to replace Al Thomas as Charlottesville’s chief of police. Jones said Brackney was the top choice out of 169 applicants.
• May 16 – In a Facebook Live video, Mayor Nikuyah Walker expressed concerns she had with the police chief selection process. In the video, Walker said there is a disconnect between the City Manager, the City Council and other leaders in Charlottesville. “We were kept out of the process,” she said, referring to the search for a police chief. “Council was not able to participate at every stage of this process.”
• May 21 – At its regular bi-monthly Monday meeting, the Charlottesville City Council (2018-2019) formally considered Dr. RaShall M. Brackney's appointment as Charlottesville’s next Chief of Police. The council approved a resolution affirming the decision of City Manager Maurice Jones to hire her. (Note: In the council-manager form of government, the Chief of Police reports directly to the City Manager. In recent years, Council has taken an advisory role in appointing the Chief of Police - and the City Attorney).
• May 25 – City Council opted not to renew City Manager Maurice Jones' contract when it was set to end in December 2018. Jones was soon hired as Town Manager for Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  
• June 4 – The Council Council appointed community members to the Charlottesville Police Civilian Review Board (CRB).
• June 18 – Dr. RaShall M. Brackney was sworn in by Charlottesville Circuit Court Clerk Llezelle Dugger as Charlottesville’s Chief of Police, replacing Al Thomas who resigned December 2017.
• July 2 – The Council Council appointed additional community members to the Charlottesville Police Civilian Review Board (CRB):
• July 16 – At their 2nd Regular meeting of the month, the City Council decided to again rename two Downtown parks. The former Lee Park, renamed Emancipation Park, is now Market Street Park. The former Jackson Park, whose name was changed to Justice Park, is now Court Square Park.
• July 31 – City Manager Maurice Jones leaves office. He had served as Charlottesville's official city manager since December 6, 2010.
• July 31 – After appointment by the Council Council, Mike Murphy became interim City Manager of Charlottesville - succeeding Maurice Jones. Murphy had been serving as one of two assistant city managers. (Murphy would retire in late 2019 and remained on the city's payroll through Oct. 31, 2020.)
• August 14 – City employee Alexander Ikefuna, Director of the Department of Neighborhood Development Services, didn’t contest the ticket for failing to yield to a pedestrian on March 15th while driving a city-owned vehicle, but instead prepaid it ahead of the slated court date of August 16th. According to Charlottesville General District court records, his fine was $30 and his court costs were $64. The ensuing lawsuit against him and his employer, the city of Charlottesville, was quietly settled with a payout of $5 million, one of the largest payouts in Virginia for the year 2022.
• August 15 – Hired by interim City Manager Mike Murphy, John Blair started his service in the City of Charlottesville as City Attorney, the position being vacant since early February after the resignation of Craig Brown.
• October 15 – Charlottesville City Council approved $65,000 for the Food Equity Initiative.
• November 16 – David Toscano announced he would resign from his leadership post as House Minority Leader by the end of the 2019 legislative session
• December 5 – Members of the City Council were in session.
• December 5 – Albemarle Board of Supervisors approve Project ENABLE, the county's economic development strategic plan

Deaths

• September 30 – Robert O'Neill, former University of Virginia president.
• December 26 – Judith H. Walker (age 77), an active citizen, she also served as General Director of Ash Lawn Opera for 23 years.