Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
CHRISTIANSBURG- Christiansburg resident Christine Waltz, during the citizen’s comments section of the Nov. 12, 2024 town council meeting, expressed her discontentedness toward the Council’s support of Mobilizing Main Street.
Mobilizing Main Street is the second tier of the three tier Virginia Main Street program, which helps revitalize and manage smaller to medium sized downtown areas of town in the state of Virginia. This program would be directed by Downtown Christiansburg Inc. (DCI) and opens the opportunity for the town to participate and the town council to also advise. In October, Christiansburg Town Council provided a letter in support of the town’s participation in Mobilizing Main Street.
Waltz, however, claimed she was disappointed in the council’s decision to support an organization, DCI, that has not, according to Waltz, complied with Virginia law as a 501c3.
“I am very disappointed,” Waltz said, “with the town’s decision to move forward with Mobilizing Main Street. The partnership that you have is with an organization that is still not complying with Virginia state law regarding charitable organizations. They have had their state Corporation Commission license revoked four times. They have had their IRS 501c3 nonprofit revoked between 2015 and 2018, and basically that’s like no big deal [Waltz shrugged]. I believe in partnerships, but partnerships, especially when you’re spending other people’s money, should be strategic. Mobilizing Main Street would have given you an opportunity to create a steering committee and had somebody that was actually going to follow the rules. I have real concerns. I have been to Central Business District Committee meetings, even back when Sam Bishop was on Central Business, and during that time period I don’t remember DCI even showing up to those meetings. I don’t see them at the meetings that are going on now, and in a partnership, a healthy relationship, both parts show up. And, I have not seen that from DCI and I’m sad to say that because I think there are some really good people there.”
Waltz goes on to say that she believes DCI is very flawed and that it is difficult for her to see and understand how Mobilizing Mainstreet would be successful with that organization and what parts of Christiansburg the word “downtown” includes. This thought brought up the prospect of inclusion for Cambria in that “downtown” term.
“I just don’t understand,” Waltz expressed, “the thought process. The businesses, if they have a flying man, that’s horrible, terrible, awful. There’s one set of rules for the businesses but another set of rules for the 501c3 that, oh they don’t have to follow laws. It makes no sense to me, none, and usually, government makes sense to me, but the decisions that come here – I don’t get them.”
