Hilbert v Davis heats up over Lawrence’s allegations

John Murden — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:14:33 +0000

In what feels like a return to classic 1980s/1990s Richmond politics, the Chris Hilbert v Jonathan Davis campaign in the Third District is running hot right now. In a recent Richmond Voice, owner of much vacant and blighted property Oliver Lawrence complained that his more than 600 citations for code violations related to property upkeep were “motivated by rogue officials, including a sitting council member”. The Voice alleges that 3rd District Council Representative Chris Hilbert tried to "persuade Lawrence into selling the Standard Auto dealership in North Side Richmond" so that Boaz and Ruth, "a local non-profit organization that helps ex-offenders rejoin society", could make use of the property. In the resulting discussion on CHPN, it came to light that Lawrence has contributed at least $500 to the campaign of Hilbert's challenger, Jonathan Davis, using two of his businesses as fronts (Standard Auto Center, Standard Auto Sales LLC) .

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