The questions below were sent to each candidate competing in the race for City Council.
Cynthia Newbille
Newbille didn’t respond to multiple email requests to respond to the questionnaire.
Eric Sundberg
What does your district need most right now — and how will you help?
The most pressing need in the Seventh District is affordable housing. The district has been grappling with high displacement rates and consistently high eviction rates for years. Richmond as a whole, and the East End in particular, has one of the highest eviction rates in the country, consistently ranking second among cities with over 100,000 people. This housing crisis isn’t new—it’s systemic—and it’s only been exacerbated by increasing housing costs and market pressures.
We need aggressive and proactive measures to address this issue. First, we must focus on keeping people in their homes, ensuring that housing is affordable, whether through rent, mortgage, or taxes. That means we need to rethink how we approach property taxes, aligning them more closely with replacement value rather than inflated market values that are driven by gentrification and land speculation. Second, we need to provide better services to retain residents. People won’t stay if their neighborhoods lack good public schools, quality public services, and a responsive, effective government. Investing in these services will help stabilize our communities and make them more livable.
Finally, we need to expand the stock of truly affordable housing. When I say "affordable," I’m talking about housing priced under $150,000, which may sound low, but historically, it’s much closer to what housing costs should be. Between 1900 and 2000, the Case-Shiller Home Price Index compared to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) only exceeded 0.6 once. Since 2000, it hasn’t dropped below that mark, and as of June 2024, the Case-Shiller Index to CPI is 1.02, meaning housing costs are disproportionately high compared to other living costs. To put this in perspective, the median home price, adjusted to 2020 dollars, was $148,000, but by 2020, the median home price had ballooned to $337,000. We need to work toward bringing housing prices back in line with realistic and sustainable levels, or else we will continue to see working-class families pushed out of Richmond.
How will you engage your constituents on policy issues?
Engagement is key to effective representation. First and foremost, I will maintain an open-door policy, ensuring that constituents feel welcome to bring their concerns directly to me and my office. This isn’t just a figure of speech—my office will actively encourage residents to reach out. I will prioritize increasing responsiveness to citizen inquiries. People shouldn’t have to wait weeks for a simple response. We need to be quicker, more transparent, and more accountable.
I also plan to hold regular community meetings, both in-person and online, to give residents multiple ways to engage with me and share their perspectives on the policy issues that affect them. In addition to these direct forms of engagement, I will focus on improving our 311 services, which is a critical tool for residents to report issues and request city services. We need to invest in the technical capacity of this service and ensure departments aren’t operating in silos, which currently leads to inefficiency and frustration. Listening to city workers on the ground about what they need to perform their jobs more effectively will be a priority. By making these changes, we can ensure that the community's voice is heard, respected, and acted upon.
What's your top citywide priority?
My top citywide priority is to implement a new vision for Richmond, one that is centered on equity and sustainability. This vision includes several components. First, we need a new economic deal that prioritizes people over profit. Too often, policy decisions are made based on what’s best for corporations or the wealthy, rather than what benefits the average resident. We need to realign our priorities to ensure that Richmond works for everyone.
Second, we need a housing deal that de-commodifies housing. Housing should be a human right, not a commodity to be traded for profit. To do this, we need stronger tenant protections, rent control, and policies that encourage the development of housing that is affordable for working-class families.
Third, we need an anti-poverty deal that makes food and other basic services available as a human right. The focus needs to shift toward getting services to people as a preventative measure, not as a reactionary one. If we invest in helping people before they hit crisis points—whether that’s hunger, eviction, or unemployment—we will save money in the long run, as people will be more likely to get back on their feet and contribute to the city’s economy.
Lastly, we need a new social deal that re-establishes trust in government. This means ensuring that City Council and other government bodies are transparent, accountable, and always working in the best interest of the people they serve. City government should not just react to problems, but actively work to prevent them and plan for a more equitable future.
How can you help restore trust in the city and its services?
Restoring trust in the city and its services starts with transparency and accountability. I believe that accountability is the cornerstone of good governance. If the people don’t trust their government, it becomes impossible to implement the kind of transformative changes we need. First, I would advocate for the establishment of an oversight and accountability committee composed of democratically-elected citizens. This committee would act as a watchdog, ensuring that those in power are held accountable and that decisions are made in a transparent manner. It’s not enough to say that we trust the people making the decisions—we need to show that the decision-makers themselves are being watched and held to the highest ethical standards.
Additionally, we need to make sure that city services are equitable and accessible. Many of the trust issues residents have stem from feeling like they are being left out or underserved. By improving communication with the public, making city resources more accessible, and investing in the city’s workforce to deliver better services, we can begin to rebuild trust between the people and their government.
What steps can council take to ensure more affordable housing — not just publicly subsidized housing — is accessible to residents?
The Council needs to be proactive in making housing more affordable for everyone, not just through public subsidies but by reforming the housing market itself. One of the most important steps is adjusting our tax policy. I have experience in this area from my time as Chief of Staff for a state delegate, and I understand that this will require lobbying the General Assembly. Specifically, tax policy should be based on the replacement value of built improvements rather than the speculative market value, which fluctuates with gentrification and speculation. By shifting the basis for taxation, we can prevent residents from facing sharp tax increases simply because their neighborhood becomes more desirable to developers. This keeps long-time residents from being priced out of their homes due to rising land values.
Another important step is to permit the construction of ADUs (additional dwelling units) in virtually all residential areas. ADUs, also known as backyard cottages or granny flats, allow homeowners to add to the housing stock themselves, providing an affordable option without having to rely on large developers. This also empowers residents to generate additional income while adding to the city’s housing capacity.
We also need a landlord registry to allow tenants, lawyers, and housing advocates to track serial evictors and stay aware of landlords’ code violations before they sign a lease. By making this information public, we can help renters avoid predatory landlords and create a safer, fairer housing market.
Finally, we need to implement rent control policies that cap rent increases based on market inflation rates, specifically tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This would prevent rent from skyrocketing beyond what working families can afford, keeping rent increases in line with wage growth and inflation.
What's your perspective on term limits for council representatives?
I support term limits for council representatives because they encourage new leadership and fresh perspectives. I would advocate for limits of two or three terms, with the specific number depending on how effectively we can address a critical issue: the need to preserve institutional knowledge. Many residents have expressed frustration with the council’s failure to pass on essential knowledge to new members, making basic government functions unnecessarily difficult to manage. It's not enough to rotate people through the office; we need to ensure that incoming representatives are well-prepared with the experience and understanding required to be effective.
Government service should be about doing the best you can while in office, then stepping aside to allow the next leader to build on that progress. Term limits, along with mentorship and a focus on knowledge retention, can help maintain a balance, ensuring that the council remains dynamic, accountable, and equipped to serve the community effectively.
