Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of David J. Toscano, Accession #12690, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This collection was given to the Special Collections Department, University of Virginia Library by David J. Toscano, Charlottesville, Virginia, on October 23, 2003.

Biographical/Historical Information

David J. Toscano received his Ph.D. in sociology from Boston College in 1979 and subsequently taught at several colleges and universities including James Madison University and the University of Virginia. He first ran for public office in 1982 when he was put forward as a Citizen's Party candidate for the General Assembly-a race which he lost. In 1990 Toscano was elected to the Charlottesville City Council on the Democratic Party ticket; he served his first term from 1990-1994 and his second term from 1994-1998. From 1994-1996 he served a two-year term as Mayor of the City of Charlottesville.

Scope and Content

This collection contains the papers of David J. Toscano, a Democrat who served on the Charlottesville City Council from 1990-1998 and was the Mayor of Charlottesville from 1994-1996. During his tenure he oversaw a multitude of issues including Charlottesville town reversion; the Meadow Creek Parkway; revitalization of West Main Street; cable television; fire and rescue services; the landfill and recycling; revenue sharing; transportation improvement; the attraction of "hi-tech" business; and a vision statement for Charlottesville 2025. Although he left City Council after two terms, Toscano remains active in Charlottesville politics.

The collection consists of 3,300 items (13 Hollinger boxes, ca. 5 linear feet), and mainly contains Toscano's correspondence, minutes from City Council Meetings, video recordings of city Council Meetings, collected papers relating to various Charlottesville issues during Toscano's tenure, and materials from Toscano' election campaigns. Documents in the collection range from 1947 to 2003, although the bulk occur between 1990 and 2002, with most of the materials in the collection coming from Charlottesville, Virginia.

Box 1 contains clippings of newspaper and magazine articles featuring Toscano, including coverage of his election campaigns.

Box 2 contains correspondence from Toscano's time as City Councilor.

Box 3 contains correspondence from Toscann's time as City Councilor as well as his Housing Authority correspondence.

Box 4 contains correspondence from Toscano's tenure as the mayor of Charlottesville. Also, it contains materials form his elections including advertisements, buttons and bumper stickers, Democratic candidate information, community feedback, contact databases, and delegate slates.

Box 5 contains materials relating to cable issues including contact lists, correspondence, notes and agendas form meetings, and questions that were asked at public forums. It also contains materials on economic development issues, education issues, illegal drugs, and the housing issues. There are also papers from the redrafting of the Charlottesville fire contract including background research, clippings, notes and minutes from meetings, presentations, and proposals and agreements regarding the fire contract.

Box 6 contains papers relating to landfill and recycling issues including clippings and publications, letters, notes, reports and memos, reports on the privatization of waste management, and settlement agreements. It also contains papers regarding the Meadow Creek Parkway, including background research, correspondence, community forums, notes, reports and memos, and a study of roadway alternatives. There are also papers relating to the Reinventing Government campaign of 1994-1995, including clippings, notes, conferences and presentations, and reports and memos.

Box 7 contains papers regarding retirement issues and revenue sharing. It also contains papers from Charlottesville Town Reversion including alternatives and questions to reversion; background information on annexation and the reversion process; case studies; information on the blue ribbon commission; financial documents; correspondence; impact reports regarding commonwealth attorneys, finances, housing, the Muller Report, and other miscellaneous reports.

Box 8 contains more papers from the reversion issue, including impact reports regarding schools, staffing, voting districts; joint Charlottesville-Albemarle meetings; legal documents; information about Mays and Valentine, the law firm representing the City of Charlottesville; notes, names and contact lists, the petition and proposed terms of reversion; papers form the planning commission; and presentations on reversion.

Box 9 contains the remainder of the reversion issue papers, including reports by William Lucy, a member of the Town Reversion Committee, publications and clippings, reversion resolutions, and information on voluntary settlement. It also contains a strategy issues workbook from 2000 that details Charlottesville's agenda regarding a variety of issues . Papers relating to technology issues are also in this box, including case stuies, clippings, contact lists, correspondence, minutes and agendas from meetings, notes, and reports and memos. This box also contains materials relating to tourism, tobacco taxes, and the Second Street crossing.

Box 10 contains papers regarding transportation issues, including papers from the Charlottesville/Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization's improvement program, papers on Charlottesville/Albemarle Transportation and Community Options (CATO), memo and reports, notes, and presentations and guides. There are also papers regarding water issues, the Water Street parking garage, and the University of Virginia. It also includes papers from the revitalization of West Main Street, including agendas and schedules, clippings, correspondence, maps, memos, notes, and memos.

Box 11 contains additional papers regarding the revitalization of West Main Street, including notes and reports. It also contains the minutes from Charlottesville City Council Meetings from 1990-1993.

Box 12 contains the minutes from City Council meetings between 1994 and 1999.

Box 13 contains the minutes from City Council Meetings from 2000-2002. It also includes a Myers-Briggs test taken by Toscano, photographs of Toscano and Charlottesville, press releases, and speeches made by Toscano. It also contains information regarding Charlottesville's Vision: Charlottesville 2025 campaign, including background information, forums, notes, and the campaign's themes and principles.

Arrangement

This collection is organized alphabetically by subject matter, and then chronologically within folders.