Michael Payne

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Michael Payne
2019 Michael Payne.JPG
Democratic Party
Photo taken in 2019

Charlottesville City Council (Nonpartisan)
Party Democrat
For term to start January 2020
Term End January 2023
Incumbent Mike Signer (D)

Biographical Information

Date of birth September 23, 1992
Age 31
Place of birth Albemarle County
Residence Belmont Neighborhood
Alma mater William & Mary, B.A. in Government
Profession Affordable housing advocate
Website https://michaelpayneforcville.com/
Campaign $ VPAP
Contributions $ VPAP

Michael Payne (born 1992) is a community organizer focusing on affordable housing issues. Payne co-founded Indivisible Charlottesville, a progressive political action organization, and is a former co-chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America.

Payne (Democratic Party) is a member of the Charlottesville City Council. Payne assumed office in January 2020. Payne's current term ends on December 31, 2023.

Payne is running for re-election to the Charlottesville City Council in the general election on November 7, 2023. [1]


Biography

Payne was raised in central Virginia and graduated from Albemarle High School. As a student at William & Mary, Payne proposed a participatory budgetary website that would allow citizens to become directly involved in the process of proposing and editing budgets at the local level. [2]

Payne has worked in affordable housing with Habitat for Humanity Virginia and PACEM. Payne has represented Habitat Virginia on statewide affordable housing issues and volunteers with the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition.[3]

Charlottesville City Council (2020-2021)

Payne was sworn into office on December 19, 2019 and took office on January 1, 2020. Councilor Payne's term runs January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2023; Salary: (not including fringe benefits) $18,000, the maximum range allowed under state guidelines. [4]

Charlottesville City Council (2020-2021)

Committee assignments

In his first term, Payne was appointed to the following Boards and Commissions:


  • January 6, 2020 – Organizational Meeting: Payne (D) voted in favor of appointing Nikuyah Walker (I) for a second term as president of the council (mayor) and new member Sena Magill (D) as vice-president (vice-mayor), [7] a position previously held by Heather Hill who declined nomination.
  • January 6, 2020 – First Regular Meeting: First motion of the new City Council was entered by Magill, seconded by Payne, Council by the following vote amended the agenda, adding Item 8 – “Resolution Opposing Military Intervention in Iran” to the end of the regular agenda: 5-0 (Ayes: Hill, Magill, Payne, Snook, Walker; Noes: None).

Charlottesville City Council (2022-2023)

Payne accepted a nomination from Sena Magill to serve as Mayor, but came second to Lloyd Snook in a 3-2 vote. [8]

Committee assignments

Payne was assigned to the following committees:[9]

Political career

Payne has been involved with several Democratic campaigns, including 2010 congressional re-election campaign for Tom Perriello as well as several House of Delegates campaigns. He co-founded Indivisible Charlottesville, a progressive political action organization, and is a former co-chair of the Charlottesville Democratic Socialists of America.[10]

Political Goals/Priority Issues

Making Charlottesville a thriving community for working class families by investing in affordable housing, public transportation, and jobs that pay a living wage. In addition, working collaboratively to make Charlottesville a statewide leader on solving the climate crisis by achieving carbon neutrality, promoting multi-modal transportation, supporting our local renewable energy sector, and protecting local green space. [citation needed]

Personal life

Paynes’s extended family live in the area where he grew up.

Memberships/Affiliations

Electoral history

2023 election

Candidates Votes %
Natalie Oschrin (D) 8,937 33.06
Michael Payne (D) 8,666 32.05
Lloyd Snook (D) 8,548 31.62
Write-In 885 na


Voters could cast two votes, one for each of the two seats available, hence the percentages do not total 100%.

2019 General Election

Candidates Votes %
Sena Magill (D) 8,420 25.97
Lloyd Snook (D) 8,133 25.08
Michael Payne (D) 7,816 24.10
Bellamy Brown (I) 5,736 17.69
Paul Long (I) 1,253 3.86
John Edward Hall (I) 837 2.58
Write-In 232 0.72
Source: State Board of Elections[11]


Each voter could vote for up to three candidates.

Payne was elected to the Charlottesville City Council on November 5, 2019, placing third in a six-way race. [12] At age 27, he is the youngest councilmember in Charlottesville's history since the city abandoned the Mayor-Council form of government in 1922.

Primary election

Candidates Votes %
Michael Payne (D) 3,657 24.98
Lloyd Snook (D) 3,501 23.91
Sena Magill (D) 3,183 21.74
Brian Pinkston (D) 3,073 20.99
Bob Fenwick (D) 1,277 8.38
Source: Virginia State Board of Elections[13]


  • Voters could select up to three candidate

Campaign themes

Payne is a community organizer focusing on affordable housing issues. He announced his campaign on January 8, 2019.[14] At a campaign forum on February 23 sponsored by LauraPAC, Payne said he would work to encourage zoning reform in Charlottesville to encourage the development of more housing units within the city. [15]

Key staff members

2019

The following themes were found on Payne’s 2019 campaign website: [17]

Truly Affordable Housing
Our neighbors—lifetime Charlottesville residents, and the families that make our city great—are being pushed out by skyrocketing rents. We need a drastic rewrite of our city's zoning code and a serious investment in making rent affordable for everyone.
Racial and Economic Equity
Charlottesville has one of the highest levels of income inequality in the entire country. Despite its rapid growth, our community remains sharply divided by race and socioeconomic class. In order to build a truly equitable city, we need to prioritize equitable growth — allowing every community member to prosper.
Addressing Climate Change
Climate change is the single largest existential threat to our society. Tackling climate change requires action at all levels of government: federal, state, and local.”
  • Michael Payne - as a candidate in October 2019 - “Top priorities for me are:
  1. Affordable housing — which intersects with so many other issues in the City;
  2. Local action on climate change;
  3. The growing economic inequality and the racial wealth gap and racial disparities in the City.”
To address escalating rents within City limits, Payne plans to spur reinvestment in and redevelopment of public housing, update the zoning code — which hasn’t been changed since 2003 — and complete the City’s affordable housing strategy. Like Magill, he sees an improved transit system as critical to mitigating climate change, alongside fossil fuel divestment and clean energy.[18]


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Policy positions

Quotes

  • “It just seemed like a really interesting way to give control over the government back to citizens rather than just elected representatives or business interests that might control the budgeting process more than citizens. It seemed like a good way of empowering citizens.”
  • As a student at William & Mary, Payne proposed a participantory budgetary website that would allow citizens to become directly involved in the process of proposing and editing budgets at the local level.[19]
  • This is a new year, and we need to get to the root of structural inequality in the City, not cater to businesses and corporate interests.
  • The nature of public comment before Council meetings will inherently have restraints, and maybe the best approach is to hold monthly Town Hall meetings.
  • "Divesting sends a signal.” “What I'm trying to do is start a long-term conversation about how we as a city respond to climate change."
  • C-VILLE Weekly “Divestment: Charlottesville considers dumping fossil-fuel holdings” (12/12/2019) [22]
  • “We can do something unprecedented by expanding it (affordable housing) and having public housing be a crown jewel of our city and send a signal that working families can afford to live in this city, and we want to provide affordable housing as a human right.”
  • The Cavalier Daily (01/16/2019) [23]
  • "Last night, we passed a city council resolution demanding #NoWarOnIran. Regardless of political differences, we all need to be united against unconstitutional war. We can only prevent war through a mass movement, strikes, and nationwide mobilization."

References

  1. Web. Oschrin joins Payne and Snook in Council race this November, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Town Crier Productions, June 21, 2023, retrieved August 17, 2023.
  2. Web. Weingartner Challenge to improve the world elicits hundreds of responses, Jim Ducibella, News Article, February 13, 2014, retrieved January 8, 2022.
  3. Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, January 6, 2020.
  4. Web. § 15.2-1414.6. Permitted salaries; salary increases; reimbursement for expenses, Virginia General Assembly, retrieved January 8, 2022.
  5. Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, .
  6. http://weblink.charlottesville.org/public/0/edoc/794287/AGENDA_20200106Jan06.pdf
  7. Web. Walker to continue as Charlottesville mayor; Magill named vice mayor, Nolan Stout, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises
  8. Web. Snook selected to serve as Charlottesville Mayor, Sean Tubbs, News Article, January 6, 2022, retrieved January 8, 2022.
  9. Web. Agendas & Minutes City Council Meeting, City of Charlottesville, January 05, 2022, retrieved May 2, 2023.
  10. Web. Gathers, Payne running for City Council, Staff reports, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, January 7, 2019, retrieved June 16, 2019.
  11. Web. 2015 November General, State Board of Elections, November 6, 2011, retrieved November 12, 2019.
  12. Web. Democrats Magill, Snook, Payne sweep City Council race, Nolan Stout, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, November 5, 2019, retrieved November 5, 2019.
  13. Web. 2019 June Primary Results - Charlottesville, State Board of Elections, June 11, 2019, retrieved June 12, 2019.
  14. Web. Gathers, Payne running for City Council, Staff reports, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, January 7, 2019, retrieved January 10, 2019.
  15. Web. Five Democratic council candidates make their cases at forum, Tyler Hammel, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, February 23, 2019, retrieved February 24, 2019.
  16. https://https://www.linkedin.com › olivia-patton-9781175a
  17. https://michaelpayneforcville.com/
  18. https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2019/10/the-rundown-on-the-race-for-charlottesville-city-council
  19. https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2014/weingartner-challenge-to-improve-the-world-elicits-hundreds-of-responses.php
  20. Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, January 2, 2018.
  21. Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, January 16, 2018.
  22. Web. Divestment: Charlottesville considers dumping fossil-fuel holdings, Carol Diggs, 12/12/18
  23. Web. Democratic candidates for City Council emphasize affordable housing, living as key issues, Geremia Di Maro, The Cavalier Daily, 01/16/2019

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