The City of Charlottesville operates under a “mayor-council” government, in which the mayor holds limited executive power, and appoints a city manager to oversee the operations of the city and execute the City Council’s plans. But this doesn’t stop Mayor Juandiego Wade — who was reelected for a second two-year term Jan. 5 — from engaging with the community. Although many concerns could be redirected to the city manager’s office, Wade believes in working closely with stakeholders and serving as a representative for locals to contact when they have questions.
“Charlottesville is so small, when people have issues, like for the snow and things, they contact me … I don’t say, ‘well, don’t contact me. This is not my job,’” Wade said. “I facilitate that, let them know I received it and how to take care of [their issue].”
Wade was reelected to the City Council by voters in November and was reappointed as mayor by fellow City Council members last month. Before his first election as mayor, Wade served two years as vice mayor. As Wade steps into his second term, The Cavalier Daily sat down with him to discuss his accomplishments from his first term and his goals for the next two years…