The questions below were sent to each candidate competing in the race for City Council.
Reva Trammell
What does your district need most right now — and how will you help?
The 8th district needs a grocery store and jobs. I am proposing to build a new Coliseum in the 8th district, which will be a magnet for numerous restaurants, a grocery store(s), hotels, and plenty of jobs. We also need sidewalks, which I have been pushing the City Administration on for years on an ongoing basis. I am hopeful that a new administration will be more helpful on this issue and allocate funding for the sidewalks. Real Estate Taxes are also a big concern, as many of the citizens in the 8th district are on fixed incomes. I have recently put in paperwork to reduce the real estate tax rate from 1.20% to 1.16%.
How will you engage your constituents on policy issues?
I currently keep my constituents informed through monthly meetings in the 8th district, where I bring in speakers from various departments in the City. Citizens are encouraged to ask questions of the speakers, who are there to promote city policies and general information, such as senior tax relief. In addition, I have recently launched a website and send emails to my constituents on a regular basis. I also give out my cell/home numbers to anyone who wants it so that they can call me directly with any questions.
What's your top citywide priority?
The citizens are asking the city to reduce taxes, especially real estate taxes. I would like to keep residents coming into the city instead of losing them to the surrounding counties that have a lower tax rate. I would also like to see the schools improve, but that is the duty of the school board. However, I will work with the new School Board member in my district to help students know what options they have upon graduation, such as trade schools if they choose not to go to college.
How can you help restore trust in the city and its services?
I am always calling out departments that do a good job, but also those which are not doing a good job. Department heads and the administration need to be held accountable when there are issues that arise at City Hall. We also need to have a transparent administration so that the citizens can build their trust back. If the new mayor continues with a lack of transparency, I will call that person(s) out on it and demand more. Citizens have the right to a City Hall that they can trust. The administration needs to reinstate the city employee directory online so that citizens can contact the appropriate person at City Hall that can help them with their specific issue, instead of hiding the contact information from the public. It is all about transparency.
What steps can council take to ensure more affordable housing — not just publicly subsidized housing — is accessible to residents?
The 8th district has numerous affordable housing projects being built. We must continue developing new units, while preserving existing affordable housing, Teaming together with a good developer, a willing bank, and an entity, such as the Maggie Walker Land Trust will bring units that are more affordable, while providing nice upgrades from typical apartments.
What's your perspective on term limits for council representatives?
I do not believe in term limits for council representatives. There are nine districts in Richmond, each one represented by a City Council member. If a representative does not do a good job by lacking in their duties, response times, and voting records, they will not be reelected. I know my district inside and out and the majority of my constituents support me, and that is why I have represented them for 23 years.
Frank Wilson Jr.
What does your district need most right now — and how will you help?
The 8th District is arguably the most underserved in the city. Top priorities identified by residents are:
- Education/childcare
- Housing
- Safety
- Food insecurity
- Transportation
- Environment (Heat Island issues, flooding)
- Community space/Green Space
While all of these are important, without having someone who is looking out for the best interest of residents, they have mostly gone unaddressed.
If elected, I will give these items the attention they deserve, working with the city and other potential partners to address these areas.
How will you engage your constituents on policy issues?
People lead busy lives. For this reason, I am a proponent of doing all I can to make it convenient for constituents to be civically engaged. Some of the ways I plan to do this are; 1. Rotate district meetings between locations in the 6 voting precincts to provide more opportunities for residents to participate. 2. Consider hosting meetings on the weekends. 3. Add a virtual component. 4. Attend Civic Association and other meetings relevant to the district. 5. Use electronic platforms as a means of outreach to them on policy issues as well.
What's your top citywide priority?
From a citywide perspective my top priority will be to work with the mayor’s office to address things that are operationally resulting in the city running less efficiently and effectively. Put customer facing employees back on the front lines to improve service delivery by all departments by posting contact phone numbers online. Improve city government transparency by making it easier to get information and less expensive.
How can you help restore trust in the city and its services?
I can contribute to this happening by working with the mayor to make changes to the current culture of city government. That means making leadership changes where necessary and requiring all city employees from leadership to line staff to be accessible and responsive to citizens and not hide behind the shroud of an ineffective 311 system. Look into the backlog of 311 requests and work with the city to enlist the services of independent contractors if necessary to work through the backlog of requests. Begin working to update city systems to improve the accuracy in billing, reporting, and accessibility of information.
What steps can council take to ensure more affordable housing — not just publicly subsidized housing — is accessible to residents?
This is one of my pet peeves. The term affordable is used as if it has one meaning and everyone knows what it means. Well, it doesn’t and they do not. What’s affordable in one part of the city may not be affordable in another part based on what the median income is for the area. One thing council can do is establish how affordability is determined based on income for a given area so we know for sure if a development truly is affordable for residents. Another thing that can be done is make sure the current zoning review is updated to meet today’s needs. This doesn’t mean making it easier for developers and investors to come into an area and do whatever they want. I would also like to see zoning make it simple for current residents to add accessory dwellings on their property. This may be an affordable way to quickly increase population density and affordable homeownership by more than 30% in the 8th district.
What's your perspective on term limits for council representatives?
My perspective is term limits for council representatives is also part of changing the culture of city government. I believe that most representatives take on the role with the best interest of constituents at heart. Some unfortunately lose sight of who they should be serving or are limited in their ability to serve because they don’t engage in personal continuous development. Change starts at the top. You can’t keep doing the same things or doing things the same way and expect to get different results.
For this reason, I am in favor of term limits and if elected will pursue this change.
