Political Cartoon Props Up Protest

The 8-foot-by-8-foot signage depicts in green and black paint what many neighborhood residents have expressed for months: that the relationship between Richmond City Manager Calvin Jamison and his former employer, Ethyl Corp. is, they say, inextricable.

The city manager’s office had not heard about the rendering, says spokeswoman Michele Quander-Collins.

The mural features caricatures of Jamison and Ethyl heir Teddy Gottwald embracing one another. The Gottwald likeness has cash pouring from his pockets. The Jamison likeness holds a gun pointed at what is supposed to be some kind of animal. It is said to represent Oregon Hill residents. And it is seemingly at the mercy of the two humans hovering over it.

Jamison has been criticized for overturning a recommendation by the city’s Department of Community Development not to change the zoning in Oregon Hill to allow for the apartments and other potential residential complexes. Last week Mayor Rudolph McCollum, whose district includes Oregon Hill, introduced a proposal to block the development. — Brandon Walters

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