A proposal to equalize representation on the Richmond Metropolitan Authority will be carried over until next year in the General Assembly, giving the city and its suburban neighbors time to work on a regional approach to capital projects in the metropolitan area.
Del. G. Manoli Loupassi, R-Richmond, today asked the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns to carry over the bill, which he said he introduced to force a regional discussion about what the area's priorities.
"Ultimately what I want is the regional partners working together in a cohesive way to get some things accomplished to help foster the economics and livability of the region," said Loupassi, a former Richmond City Council president who now represents part of Chesterfield County.
Loupassi said he had the votes in committee to pass his proposal, which would have reduced Richmond's dominant role on the RMA Board of Directors from six to three members, while increasing Chesterfield and Henrico County's representation to three members as well.
"To the extent I have given some pressure, I think that has been a helpful thing," he said.
Richmond City Council President Kathy G. Graziano agreed that the legislation has been a catalyst for frank discussions among Richmond and Chesterfield leaders about priorities for a region that also encompasses Fort Lee and the Tri-Cities area.
"I think we spend the next year trying to figure out a vision for the region," Graziano said today. "I think the discussion has to be had before we change anything on the RMA."
For the city, that vision includes mass transit and other transportation improvements, as well as the future of tolls on the expressway system that the RMA owns and operates in Richmond. But Loupassi also wants the city and counties to come up with a comprehensive plan for a wider range of capital projects, including a replacement for The Diamond, which RMA owns, and either a renovated or new Richmond Coliseum.
"To me, this is a much bigger deal than regional transportation," he said.
If the discussions fail, the legislation will resurface next year in a legislature that will look much the same as it does now, he said. "The membership of that committee is not going to change."
-- Michael Martz
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