With the regularly scheduled city council meeting canceled, Martinsville City Council members Julian Mei and Aaron Rawls organized a public forum on May 27 in the council chambers to give residents a platform to voice their concerns. The room was filled with community members eager to speak on topics ranging from education and economic development to public safety, government transparency and moving the city forward.
“It’s the people’s chamber,” Mei said in his opening remarks, explaining the choice of venue. Rawls noted they were unable to secure an alternate location on short notice due to the holiday weekend.
Barbara Seymour served as the facilitator and outlined the ground rules, reminding attendees that the forum was intended to be civil and inclusive. “There have been a lot of comments about expectations, right or wrong, of tonight’s community forum,” said Seymour, adding that thousands would watch the meeting.
“Let’s deliver to them a thoughtful, respectful discourse that’s focused on the future of Martinsville and finding solutions to be able to move forward towards that future,” she said.
Planning, Development, and Industry
Joey Martin, chairman of the Planning Commission, said that he anticipates by the end of the week, four commission members would be Certified Virginia City Planners. “In recent months, the commission has tried to weigh in on key issues like the Dumpster and Refuse Ordinance coming up for a vote in the next council meeting. Community concerns over things like traffic pattern changes in our Uptown Historic District. Unfortunately, many of those changes were made without planning commission involvement and we believe that needs to change,” he said.
Martin said the commission is advocating for a new ordinance to gain better access to information “to ensure that citizen voices are part of the process from the beginning and not just an afterthought.” He added the commission also is interested in reviewing capital improvement projects that align with the city’s Comprehensive Plan and long term goals.
“These are practical steps to improve transparency, consistency and community trust,” he said. “We’re not here to fight factions. We’re here to build partnerships, offer solutions, work toward a future that reflects not just the needs of today, but the values and goals of tomorrow.”
Local author Mark Rainey highlighted Danville’s transformation of its River District and said Martinsville has similar potential. He cited Rick Barker, who played a major role in Danville’s redevelopment. Barker had “done a study in Martinsville at one time, and he said that the infrastructure and demographics in the city of Martinsville were so close to the people and the processes that got that upgrade going in Danville.”
Rainey added that visitors to the River District five years ago saw a “ghost town, derelict and decaying,” compared to the now-updated buildings that house thriving businesses. Barker said “what this took was to first of all get public funds pumped into the community through federal, state and local government and use those funds” to start making upgrades.
Over time, as the upgrades advanced, private investments “came in, so much so that the ratio of public funds to private funds absolutely flipped,” so the funding to continue the upgrade was due to private business,” customers and tourism, Rainey said, and asked whether a similar proposal has been explored for Martinsville.
Mei asked about Barker’s observations about why something similar has not been emulated in Martinsville.
Rainey said that Barker told him when the upgrade process began in Danville,“’they had a unified and forward-thinking city council. Martinsville’s gotta have that for something of that magnitude to happen.’”
Michael Green, chairman of the Architectural Review Board and a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals, encouraged residents to volunteer to serve on boards and commissions and help with historical districts. Both boards need members, he added.
Green also noted Martinsville’s industrial potential, and the need for a long-term plan to reach its full potential. “There’s all types of incredible potential for Martinsville becoming a market center of its own. Please participate. Go online. Become a member of one of our” city’s boards, commissions or committees, and “help us build Martinsville into something that is economically strong. A place where people want to bring their families and raise their kids.”
Crawford Warren recalled Martinsville’s legacy of industrial prominence, and noted that it is situated in a “great strategic area” with easy access to interstates.
In the 1990s, “we were in the top ten in the United States as far as wealth,” he said. “Martinsville and Henry County, we were the industrial hub of southwest Virginia. From the furniture hubs to the textiles. Even when DuPont left, we … stumbled a little bit, but we kept on strong. Then NAFTA came. It was a blow. And if we really think about it, it was the infighting” about water rights. “We need to learn from the past in order to really work on this thing.
“What’s the solution? We love our community. We genuinely love our community. We want to win. For southwest Virginia to come up as a whole, number one has to come up, and that’s Martinsville and Henry County,” Warren said, adding that he supported the merger of the two localities because he studied the situation in Montgomery County. Blacksburg “is the largest incorporated town for a reason,” he said.
“We’ve always worked together. Martinsville and Henry County. Once upon a time, we genuinely” did that, he said. “We stood together.”
Warren noted annexation as a potential option to reversion, “and if that don’t work, let’s come up with something else. We’ve got beautiful minds … Powerful minds. The only way southwest Virginia is going to come up is if Martinsville and Henry County come up. That’s the solution. “
Education and Community Voices
Alexandra Flager shared her experience after moving to the city four years ago from West Virginia. “I have a huge concern,” she said, adding that her daughter has IEPs and is visually impaired.
“We were here for two years in the city and got turned down for any IEP or any help whatsoever. Within three months of being in Henry County (schools), they have given her visual help,” speech, “so many options and ways to go, people to see, places to go” for help.
“They have advocated for her so hard. Something I fought for two years” for in city schools, “and it did nothing but put her behind,” Flager said. The city schools “failed us, she said, and initially “tried to push my daughter on medicine instead of trying to help her. She commended the city teachers “who did try to help. … It was not their fault,” she said.
Chris Lawless, owner of Lawless Welding and a Henry County Board of Supervisors candidate, spoke about regional perceptions of Martinsville. “I want you to make it. You don’t want us, we don’t want you,” he said of potential reversion. “We need to make it together.” He also gave an update on the Trash Pandas group, which works to clean up the city, and voiced support for school consolidation but not full reversion.
Youth Advisory Committee member Connor Wotring also voiced frustrations with Martinsville City Schools, citing a “very considerable difference” between the city and county systems. He switched schools and attended Magna Vista High School, where he said he believes more attention is paid to county students, leading to better academic performance.
John Wilson, a former city council candidate, encouraged ongoing civic engagement and asked about potential job creation. He also said he would support annexation. Rawls responded that he did not, and would not “rob from our neighbors… Our main issue here is infighting,” Rawls said, adding that he aims to avoid confrontation but wants to ensure “the well-being of this community isn’t held hostage.”
Calls for Reform and Transparency
Tim Martin, a business and property owner in Uptown Martinsville, questioned the city’s economic strategy. “Are we even focusing on trying to attract industry?” he asked, urging city leaders to provide more updates on progress.
Rawls responded, “We—the community—had to go through what it’s going through now,” adding that the situation has awakened residents. “I feel like we got to go through it. Maybe we can call the state one more time to bail us out of this.”
Leroy Hairston cautioned that Martinsville, despite its motto otherwise, does have limits. “It’s misinterpreted, we do have limits,” he said, and added accountability and working together are important skills for all council members.
Former council candidate LaNita Herlem expressed concern over a raise for the city manager while the public information officer position is being eliminated. She urged a stronger focus on external communication.
Efigenia Cuenca, another former candidate, spoke on behalf of the Latino community. “I have asked for help, but many times those requests have gone unanswered,” she said. Cuenca also mentioned that the community advisory board is struggling. “We need each other, we need to listen to each other.”
Safety and Infrastructure
Bobby Price, owner of American Patriot Liquidation, described the community as charming, calling it “Mayberry, but better.” He warned against adopting big-city practices that may not suit Martinsville. “We the people are getting railroaded by big city ideas,” he said, adding that such divisions hurt local businesses.
Marvin Carter, a volunteer firefighter in Henry County stressed that “public safety is paramount.” He said the city needs to replace outdated trucks and ambulances. “Before spending money on other things, think about safety.”
Jeff Porter closed the meeting by calling attention to the city’s infrastructure needs. “This is not glamorous. Infrastructure is the most boring thing to try to talk about,” he said, but added it remains one of Martinsville’s biggest issues.
