All’s Well That Ends Well

by Charles McGuigan 02.2024

Elizabeth Dudley Cann Kambourian, an amateur historian, who, through her diligent research, discovered the site of a Black cemetery in Shockoe Bottom, has lived in Richmond her entire life, all but two of those years in Bellevue, on the city’s Northside. 

For the past year and half or so, Elizabeth, has suffered a number of health issues. “I’ve been very, very sick with heart troubles and things like that,” she tells me. “I just got a pacemaker on my birthday. I was in the hospital this past week because the incision was infected.” 

Add to that, Elizabeth is awaiting a medical procedure, and is extremely limited in her mobility. “I’m waiting to have hip surgery, I can walk a little,” she says. “Anything further than twenty or thirty feet, I have to use a wheelchair. So I don’t go out of my house at all.”

Several years ago, Elizabeth had the privacy fence on the rear of her yard moved forward twenty feet, creating a parking space entirely on her property. She parked her 2006 Dodge Ram pickup truck there, where it remained as her health declined. 

Shortly before this past Christmas a code enforcement inspector with the City left his card on Elizabeth’s front door. A neighbor had apparently contacted the City about the pickup truck which did not have a current inspection sticker. 

In early January, after receiving a notice from the City, Elizabeth contacted the code enforcement inspector, and left a detailed message for him. “I said, ‘It’s not inoperable, I have it back there to keep it off the street, and it’s on my property,” she remembers. “It has current license plates paid two years in advance. It is insured. I told him there was a mistake and I never heard back from him.” Elizabeth assumed there were no problems. 

Because she is limited in her mobility, Elizabeth could not see the pickup truck from her rear window because of the privacy fence, and assumed it was still parked where she had left it. Late in January, one of her relatives told her the pickup truck was gone. 

When I explain what happened to Third District Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, she says: “And they towed the car without her knowing about it.”

Which seems to be exactly what happened. Since the time of the towing, according to Elizabeth’s daughter, Melissa Kambourian, those storage fees amounted to almost S2,000.

As if things couldn’t get worse, Elizabeth recently received two letters from DMV notifying her that the towing company had put a mechanics lien on her Dodge Ram and were planning to sell it at public auction this month.

“Here’s the thing, Charles,” says Councilwoman Lambert. “We need to investigate this thoroughly. I’ve got to check with the city attorney to see what can be done.”

Within hours Councilwoman Lambert had begun a very extensive investigation into the matter. According to her liaison Kiya Stokes the following city officials were on the case: City Attorney Laura Drewry, Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders, Public Works Director Bobby Vincent, Deputy Director of Parking & Mobility Lynne Lancaster, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Robert Steidel, and Deputy Director of Operations Torrence Robinson.

Thanks to these efforts Elizabeth now has her truck back, and the towing company generously rescinded all towing and storage fees that had totaled $1900. Axselle Auto Service of Lakeside towed the truck back to their lot and inspected the vehicle.

“Everything I do in the Third District is to benefit my constituents,” says Councilwoman Lambert. “I am happy this issue is resolved, and I will always be there for Team Northside.”