Today’s edition is sponsored by the Ragged Mountain Running and Walking Shop

There are very few editions of Charlottesville Community Engagement that are sent out on a Saturday but there’s enough new information to tell you so here we are. Today is the first day of the administration of Governor Abigail Spanberger and there have already been some big changes. I’m Sean Tubbs and it’s January 17, 2026.

In this edition:

* Abigail Spanberger is now Virginia’s 75th Governor

* There are several media reports that at least three members of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors has resigned at Spanberger’s request

* The Virginia General Assembly has set the stage for a Constitutional amendment this spring for a Congressional redistricting with debate in both the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate

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Corrections to start:

* In the January 16, 2026 edition, I misidentified Charlottesville’s delegation to the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission. They are Jen Fleisher and Michael Payne.

First-shout: Charlottesville Community Bikes seeing volunteers for the Charlottesville Ten Miler

The Charlottesville Ten Miler is fast-approaching so there’s plenty of time to get training. Or so I keep telling myself. Or perhaps you’d like to help out on March 28 and witness thousands of people moving through the streets of our community as they raise money for local groups?

Charlottesville Community Bikes is one of the beneficiaries of this year’s Ten Miler and their level of support depends on how many people they can get to volunteer for any number of duties. If you’d like to learn more, visit the Ten Miler website and sign up if you’d like to get involved. Volunteers are encouraged to select “Anywhere You Need Me” for the greatest impact.

Spanberger takes office as Virginia’s 75th governor

The first woman to serve as the Governor of Virginia took the oath of office at the State Capitol this afternoon after winning the election last November.

Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears with over 57 percent of the vote.

“Neighbors, friends, and our fellow Virginians. It is my honor to be with all of you today,” said Governor Spanberger. “An inauguration ceremony like this one, with all its tradition and pageantry, represents something profound and in its origin, something uniquely American, the peaceful transfer of power.”

Spanberger said the tradition began when George Washington, a Virginian, opted to step down after two terms as President. She thanked former Governor Glenn Youngkin for his service, as well as the time that former Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and former Attorney General Jason Miyares put in while in office.

Spanberger also thanked generations that came before her that worked to ensure that women have the right not only to vote but also to hold office.

“But who could only dream of a day like today?” Spanberger asked. “I stand before those who made it possible for a woman to also participate in that peaceful transfer of power and take that oath.”

Spanberger noted that this is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, drawing attention to Thomas Jefferson’s role as Virginia’s second governor. The first was Patrick Henry, who was sworn in in 1776.

“Governor Henry is best known for his call against tyranny at St. John’s Church, just up the road, words that helped launch the American Revolution,” Spanberger said. “But in his final public speech delivered in Virginia Years later in 1799, he made an appeal to his fellow citizens, warning against the divisions that were threatening our young country. His appeal remains timeless. He said, united we stand, divided we fall, Let us not split into factions which must destroy that union upon which our existence hangs.”

Spanberger noted that the steps of the Virginia capitol were used by suffragists to lobby for the right for women to vote, a request denied for many years until 1920 when the U.S. Constitution was amended. She also noted that Virginia did not ratify the 19th Amendment until 1952.

The new governor also noted that Virginia decided to call itself a Commonwealth upon independence and not just a state.

“What’s the difference?,” Spanberger said. “We, kids, pay attention. Someone may ask you this eventually. There’s no difference. There is no difference in how we operate or function as a state. The difference lies in the intentions of our forefathers and the choice to indicate that here our government should serve the common good. That the voices of everyday Virginians, not kings, not aristocrats, not oligarchs, should. That the voices of everyday Virginian should drive us forward and that our prosperity depends on that union.”

Turning to policy and the future, Spanberger said she would help guide Virginia during a time when the federal government is seeking to end support for rural hospitals, support for health care, and other outcomes sought by the current administration.

“I know that some who are here today or watching from home may disagree with the litany in of challenges and the hardships that I laid out,” Spanberger said. “Your perspective may differ from mine, but that does not preclude us from working together where we may find common cause.”

Spanberger said she looks forward to working with the General Assembly over the next four years and thanked her Cabinet for being willing to serve.

“As we mark 250 years since the dawn of American freedom, what will our children, our grandchildren and their descendants write about this time in our Commonwealth’s history? This chapter, 50, 100, 250 years from now, will they say that we let divisions fester or challenges overwhelm us? Or will they say that we stood up for what is right, fixed what is broken, and served the common good?”

You can watch the entire inauguration ceremony on VPM or read the remarks on the website of the 75th Governor.

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Several members of the Board of Visitors have resigned at Spanberger’s request

The Cavalier Daily is reporting that four members of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors have resigned following a request from Governor Abigail Spanberger before she was sworn in.

Shortly after Spanberger was elected, she asked the Board of Visitors to suspend a search for a new president following the resignation of Jim Ryan in June 2025. Former Governor Glenn Youngkin told her to stop interfering and the Board hired Scott Beardsley on December 19. Beardsley resigned as Dean of the Darden School of Business to take the job.

The Board was already down to 12 appointees, all named by Youngkin, following the failure of five new nominees to get confirmed by the General Assembly.

Rector Rachel Sheridan, Vice Rector Porter Wilkinson, and member Paul Manning all resigned on Friday. The New York Times reports that Doug Wetmore resigned today and their earlier reporting Spanberger has also asked Stephen Long to resign.

The Cavalier Daily obtained a copy of Sheridan’s resignation letter to Youngkin that blamed “political warfare” for the Board’s inability to stabilize a University community where several groups expressed concern that Beardsley was appointed without their input. On Thursday, the Faculty Senate adopted a resolution calling for Spanberger to act.

“The Faculty Senate calls upon Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger to exercise her statutory authority, review the actions of current Board members,remove those whose conduct has fallen short of the responsibilities of Visitors, and appoint qualified individuals to fill all vacancies on the Board,” reads one part of the resolution.

The resolution also asks the new Board of Visitors to review the search process to determine if there need to be changes.

As of publication, the Board of Visitors website has not yet been updated to reflect any resignations. However, Deputy Spokeswoman Bethanie Glover confirmed the four resignations.

“President Beardsley and University leaders thank them for their service to UVA,” re...