The City of Richmond: When Typos Strike!

Anytime that I, Don Harrison, can help the City of Richmond fix a “typo” that saves taxpayers $250,000 a year…  well, I guess that’s what I’m here for.

As Scott Bass reports in this week’s Style Weekly, my recent Style editorial on the CenterStage/Landmark giveaway may have enticed some city employees to actually look at the important documents they sign into law. After those important documents pass city council, of course:

"A typo is a typo. We try not to have them, but once or twice a year it happens," City Attorney Allen Jackson says. "It just didn't get changed when the amendments got introduced on May 14."

It's unclear who noticed the error. Mayoral press secretary Tammy Hawley emailed Style seeking a correction to a Back Page essay that first ran online July 3. In the essay, "Foul Play," Style's former arts and culture editor, Don Harrison, rails against the deal, pointing out that the city was reaching further into taxpayers' pockets to give RPAC and the Richmond CenterStage Foundation an extra $250,000 a year, in addition to $14 million to rehab the Landmark.

Hawley's email to Style was sent July 11, the same day Chief Administrative Officer Byron Marshall and officials with RPAC executed their agreement in which the typo was fixed.

Of course, I owe it all to my crack research staff and all of my unpaid interns.

Here’s a link to this week’s Style story, and you can read my original editorial here.