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Residents press council over elevator inspections, AI executive order and local development plans
Summary
Citizens raised three distinct issues during public comment: a business owner described multi-year elevator inspection delays and unclear fees; one speaker warned about the implications of Governor Youngkin's Executive Order 51 on AI; another resident questioned food taxes and land use for a former Kmart site and a proposed Costco location.
Three members of the public used the citizen comment period at the Sept. 9 Newport News City Council meeting to press the city on operational and policy concerns.
Edward Malbec, chief executive manager of Southeastern Virginia Powersports LLC, said his dealership's one-stop hydraulic elevator has not been inspected for almost three years and described lengthy delays and unclear invoicing in the city's inspection process. "I have a 1 stop hydraulic elevator in my building that has not been inspected for almost 3 years," Malbec said, explaining he filled out the online permit and emailed required paperwork but did not receive the $100 invoice he expected. He said new program requirements appeared to require hiring an outside company to verify a vendor's work, raising his private cost to roughly $400–$500. City staff offered immediate assistance: City Manager Manning asked that Malbec meet staff in the lobby after the meeting and said the deputy city manager would help work through the challenges.
Chris Bridal addressed Governor Youngkin's Executive Order 51, which he said advances the use of AI by streamlining regulations across a number of states. "I'm not a big fan of AI," Bridal said. He urged caution and recommended carefully aligning any local implementation with state law and the city's existing regulations to avoid unintended expansion of authority. The transcript records no formal staff response to his policy concern beyond acknowledgement.
Carol Karkoff, a Denbigh resident, raised two everyday concerns: the combined state and city taxes on prepared foods that raise small purchase prices, and uncertainty about development of a large former Kmart property in Denbigh and whether a new Costco would locate at Bland and Jefferson. She suggested the Kmart site could be appropriate for a library or fire station and asked the city how residents can get updates on those plans; no detailed planning response was recorded in the meeting transcript.
What happens next: Staff committed to meet with Malbec immediately after the meeting to assist with the elevator inspection process. The policy questions about Executive Order 51 and the Kmart/Costco development requests were recorded as public input but require further staff follow-up for formal responses or planning updates.
