At least two new faces will join Richmond City Council in 2025.
Council President Kristen Nye has chosen not to seek reelection in the 4th District. She is set to be succeeded by Sarah Abubaker, current director of strategic communications at Collegiate School, who is running uncontested. Andreas Addison is a candidate for mayor and will vacate his 1st District seat. The locality’s next representative will be determined by a three-way race.
The remaining seven races on the Nov. 5 ballot feature current councilmembers, two of whom are running uncontested: Katherine Jordan in the 2nd District and Stephanie Lynch in the 5th.
Four of the issues facing the new Richmond City Council:
Accountability: As city Finance Director Sheila White said in a September presentation to Council, “Richmond is suffering from over a decade of stagnation.” She cited a lack of resources, outdated systems and constant staff turnover. These issues, she said, are at the heart of current problems before the council, such as meals tax billing, a lack of transparency and poor customer service. All five mayoral candidates have said they would hire a new chief administrative officer.
Development: With ground finally broken on the Diamond District and CarMax Park, the future home of the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the new council will oversee the long-awaited project to its completion. The question: What’s next? Voters have rejected plans for a casino twice, and three prospective mayors claim they don’t want to replace the Richmond Coliseum with a new arena. There is, however, a common desire to repair and replace existing buildings, create a more bustling downtown, fix food deserts, and build affordable housing.
Public Safety: Shootings locally and nationally continue to rattle Richmonders, as witnessed with the Huguenot High School graduation killings last year and a shooting at a Georgia high school in early September. At the same time, the Richmond Police Department is still trying to rebuild trust with the community since the 2020 racial justice protests.
Schools: It’s not a stretch to say Richmond schools need to be rebuilt, literally and figuratively. Fire, lightning, mold and more have taken school days from students, who were already facing numerous obstacles before the COVID-19 pandemic. Pass rates for the Standards of Learning tests have improved since then, but at roughly 50%, they still lag far behind those in neighboring counties. The Class of 2023 also had a dropout rate of 23.7%, far higher than the statewide rate of 5.4%.
City Council Duties
As with the mayor, Richmond’s charter also lays out responsibilities for its nine-member City Council. Those powers include:
- Providing for the organization, conduct and operation of all departments, bureaus, divisions, boards, commissions, offices and agencies of the city
- Creating, altering or abolishing departments, bureaus, divisions, boards, commissions, offices and agencies
- Setting the titles, qualifications, powers, duties and compensation of all officers and employees
- Providing for the form of oaths and the amount and condition of surety bonds to be required of certain officers and employees of the city
- Appointing or removing officers and employees needed by the council to discharge its legislative, oversight and constituent relations functions
