Question and Answer
Candidate's responses are published as submitted, without edits.
Root Causes: Often, studies tend to focus on the individual characteristics of offenders, while neglecting ethnic and racial differences associated with neighborhood contexts...like resource scarcity, redlining practices, disparate treatment in legal settings, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Can you talk about the root causes you've identified as the precipitators of violence in our region?
A major driver of violence in a person is their exposure to violence as a child. Adverse childhood experiences contribute to modeling of violent actions throughout life. Violence begets violence. Environments where children are exposed to high rates of violence are in communities of concentrated poverty, which exist today in Richmond as the direct result of hundreds of years of oppression and segregation.
Furthermore, alternative pathways out of poverty are highly dependent on one's network and relationships. Segregation and concentrated poverty block people's access to such pathways and relationships.
Though I am happy to share my perspective, I expect to rely on the wisdom of colleagues who have closer ties to communities with violence.
Systemic Solutions: Research tells us that race or ethnicity are not violence indicators. They are markers highlighting external social contexts differentially allocated by racial, ethnic, and economic status. Segregation by these social contexts disproportionately exposes members of these racial, ethnic, and lower socioeconomic groups to key violence-inducing or violence-protecting conditions. What are some systemic solutions that will consider these factors?
Opening up pathways out of poverty and violence is necessary to break people out of their cycles of violence. Firstly, a criminal conviction must not be a reason to deny a person a job, a home, or an education. The investments we make in offering alternatives to violence (while keeping a close eye on high-risk individuals) will cost less and get better results than the classic punitive measures.
Also: Housing plans that provide families with exposure to positive models will also provide pathways out of poverty for the next generation. Reducing the isolation of our lowest-income housing would be part of the solution.
Immediate Solutions: Motions, Resolutions, Ordinances, Referrals, Deferrals - and all policy changes can take time. What immediate solutions do you propose that will invite our neighbors and your constituents across Richmond to co-create and jointly implement efforts to change the trajectory of violence in Richmond?
It's important that the discussion be framed in two new ways.
First, we should normalize the concept that people who have made poor choices and are at high risk of committing more violence - they don't just deserve an equal chance - they need extra support. Far from needing to be barred from jobs, housing, or education - they need extra support in gaining access to these lifelines.
Second, we must normalize the assumption that these investments in alternatives to violence are money-saving investments that will cost us less than the cycle of punishment and exclusion would cost.
Climate Policy: After nearly 6 years of community engagement and climate analysis, the RVAgreen 2050 Climate Equity Action Plan was adopted in early 2023 as the City of Richmond’s official sustainability plan. As Mayor, will you fully execute this plan and seek to exceed the goals set out with respect to carbon pollution reduction and community climate resilience?
Yes
Tell us more: As Richmond makes progress, what is the City getting right and what actions will you as the next Mayor take to overcome any challenges?
The Office of Sustainability is very successful in spurring community organizations that can do the work of facilitating a green transition, which helps keep the burden off of the city. We should continue to support grant writers and systems for securing federal grants for these community programs.
Environmental Justice: Richmond has just begun to repair some of the lasting harms of racially motivated redlining, highway construction, and disinvestment in low-income and Black and African American communities. Today, models like the City of Richmond Climate Equity Index, the Trust for Public Land ParkScore, and the White House’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool show disparities across neighborhoods in community resources, environmental quality, health outcomes, and economic opportunity. Do you see a relationship between climate action, poverty, and justice in Richmond?
Yes
Tell us more: If so, how would you describe this relationship and what actions, policy-related or otherwise, do you feel are necessary to address these issues?
We can use data like the tools referenced above to identify the areas with the highest need, which will be the historically underinvested communities of the city. If we focus new green spaces and increased transit service to the quantifiably underinvested areas it will go to the people who need it most.
Similarly, relief for climate-related financial burdens (such as assistance for weatherizing homes) can be targeted to areas where the data indicate the investments are most needed. And better regulation of utility rates can reduce energy costs that particularly burden the budgets of our lowest income residents.
Equitable Energy Transition: Richmond Gas Works is owned and operated by the City of Richmond. The Department of Public Utilities is facing financial and logistical challenges maintaining the network of 100-year-old gas pipes. The aging system has had nearly a thousand known gas leaks, with each jeopardizing public safety and the health of local residents. When leaked, methane is a potent climate pollutant that has a significant impact on climate change. When burned indoors in stoves and heaters, people can be exposed to fumes containing carcinogens like benzene, formaldehyde, and nitrogen oxides. If elected, would you work to develop a plan to phase out Richmond Gas Works in a financially responsible manner?
Yes
Tell us more: How can low and median income households be protected and supported throughout an energy transition? *
We should look for best practices in other municipalities that have tackled this issue well, and use a data-driven approach to target assistance to the areas where environmental disinvestment has been the most extreme.
Local governments are responsible for land use and zoning, impacting housing supply and the various types of housing that gets built. With Richmond Planning Department beginning the work of rewriting their zoning code, are you supportive of the citywide zoning code rewrite?
Yes
Tell us more: What kinds of zoning changes would you support to allow for a variety of home types?
Supporting priority growth nodes consistent with the Richmond 300 Master Plan will create targeted dense multi-use areas that can provide homes, jobs, and culture without contributing to carbon-dependent sprawl.
Supporting "missing middle" options across a wide area can also create a gentle increase in smaller, lower-cost homes across the city without relying on massive development projects that might disrupt some neighborhoods.
Do you believe each district in the City should develop its fair share of affordable housing?
It's Complicated
Tell us more: How would you implement that?
The role each district plays depends on the specifics of the district. Differences in land prices and quantity of underdeveloped land will impact a district's capacity to subsidize deep affordability or incorporate large new developments. However, each district has its role in creating more homes for families in the city, and the Richmond 300 Master Plan provides a great vision for how to do it.
In 2023, Richmond City declared a housing crisis. Should the city make it easier to build more housing?
Yes
Tell us more: Cities across the country are starting to repeal provisions of zoning regulation that make it harder to build - especially for small and part-time builders. Richmond, by eliminating parking requirements in 2023, has started down this path. What types of rules would you support relaxing or eliminating and why?
Investing in staff and training to streamline permits; Updating zoning when it doesn't match existing buildings, so that builders can build homes by-right that are consistent with the neighborhood; Legalizing "missing middle" residential that allows for smaller, lower-cost homes instead of the Tear-Downs-to-McMansions cycle we see today.
I do plan to work to find ways to incentivize adherence to architecture & design standards in areas with historic character. I hope that by standardizing these expectations we can get beautiful new buildings that complement our city's charm, without spending years negotiating SUPs.
Leadership in Transportation: Following decades of planning around primarily one mode of transportation - vehicles - residents and businesses have increasingly called upon Richmond leadership to retool its transportation system to work for many ways of getting around, including walking, biking, public transportation, rideshare, bike share, scooters, and beyond. Do you support expanding funding and implementation of a multi-modal transportation system in Richmond that prioritizes safe, walkable, and bikeable streets and frequent and far reaching public transit?
yes
Tell us more: What legislation and funding will you support to meet the challenge of providing seamless, interconnected multimodal networks for the communities you serve?
Much of our CVTA funds go to pay for car-based items like road-paving. We ought to direct more of those funds to GRTC and transit-related projects such as sidewalks bus shelters, bike shares, and benches.
An ordinance worth considering is whether all road work and repaving should be accompanied by the implementation of the city's plans regarding new bus & bike lanes and pedestrian improvements on that stretch. Otherwise, we waste time and money working on a street twice, and waiting too long to get the redesigned streets that public engagement and planning have already approved.
Equitable Transportation Funding: Richmond has a history of inequitable investment in sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and bus stops. Zero fare GRTC Bus service has resulted in a ridership boom, lowering barriers to mobility and increasing access to jobs, health care, and schools. Yet, the state grant for zero fare is ending soon, leaving a funding gap. Many low-income Richmonders rely on equitable transportation solutions, and they need consistent leadership to deliver equitable transportation policies and programs. Will you prioritize equity in funding and implementation of transportation projects?
yes
Tell us more: What projects or programs would best support equitable transportation access in your district as well as others? If not, how will you ensure all Richmond residents have access to essential transportation options?
Fare free continues to be a great investment, increasing ridership that earns us more state funding. Let's identify more partners to support fare free GRTC. Let's continue to fund the construction of the North/South Pulse Line, which will create more reliable transit trips from neighborhoods that have been underinvested.
We need to invest in sidewalks and bus shelters and benches and increased transit service where the data shows these things currently don't exist. These investments will create better access to transportation for people who need it most.
Transportation Infrastructure: Richmond Connects – the City of Richmond’s recently-adopted multimodal transportation plan – was developed through years of deep community engagement and prioritizes equitable investment in roadways, bike, pedestrian, and essential public transit infrastructure over the next several years. Meanwhile, Richmond has developed strategies to address transportation safety through the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program and Vision Zero. Will you continue to fund the implementation of the Richmond Connects plan?
yes
Tell us more: What Richmond Connects projects would you like to see implemented in your district as well as others?
Il love to daydream about the many projects in Richmond Connects. Some of my favorites are the Mary Munford Pedestrian safety improvements, the Western Pulse extension, and the Huguenot Road Bikeway.
Emerging Adults: What kind of future do you envision for young people coming out of school today and transitioning to adulthood? What are your priorities to ensure they are set up for success?
Young people need job opportunities and affordable homes to live in. Our education system should provide pathways to work for college-bound students as well as trades & apprenticeships for others. And this city needs to have homes at every affordability level so that young people can live in the city as independent young adults.
Youth Centered Question: As students, so much of our lives revolve around school; because of this, the lingering fear and dread we face when doing basic everyday things in school is more than just debilitating. Everyday we fear that while doing our school work or walking down the road, a senseless act of gun violence will take our life. Virginia and Richmond specifically needs to do better, not just for the current teenagers directly affected by the gun violence, but for the small children who grow up and see the same things we do, with little to no explanation or understanding of why. We see what happens in our neighborhoods; in our state; in our country as a whole. We need change but we have to start here, at home. We need you to promise to help us make that change. Tell us your plan and overall strategy for addressing gun violence, including but not limited to, allocating funds and leveraging resources to support violence prevention, intervention, and crisis response?
Funding resources and interventions for those who are most at-risk to commit violence will reduce incidents of violence in our community. Reducing segregation in housing would also create more exposure to model positive pathways for the next generation.
Working to elect a governor in 2025 who won't veto commonsense gun safety laws will be a priority of mine as well.
Family Centered Question: Access to year-round high-quality childcare, education, afterschool and summertime activities, and family-oriented community resources are key priorities voiced by families in our community. How do you propose the Mayor’s Administration and Council should work to ensure that every child (birth – 18) has access to high-quality care, education, wraparound services, and safe spaces to thrive in?
A few principals can help achieve this vision of complete access for all. First, making childcare and preschool universally available, rather than means-tested, will increase participation and reduce the bureaucratic barrier of needing to apply. Second, cultivating an ecosystem of private nonprofit partners to deliver services can also reduce the burden on the city and lead to more access.