City Councilmember Katherine Jordan represents Richmond's 2nd District. (Photo courtesy Katherine Jordan)
Newly elected Richmond City Councilwoman Katherine Jordan plans to bring her experience as a Richmond Green City Commission member, Fan District Association president and Richmond Public Schools mom to her new position. A Richmond native, Jordan has worked in urban design and sustainability in New York City and at the Duke University Health System. After moving back to Virginia, she joined the campaign for the state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. She won election to the 2nd District seat on City Council on November 3, 2020, and was sworn in to her seat on January 4, 2021. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
RM: Why did you decide to run for City Council?
Katherine Jordan: I decided to run back in February of last year, when [former 2nd District City Councilmember] Kim Gray stepped down to run for mayor. I was at a time in my life where I felt like I could give back and do more. I really love Richmond, and I love cities. Professionally and educationally, urban design is my background, so this is something that I have some expertise in and … personally find very interesting. I started following city government when my kids were at [Richmond Public Schools] because I was going down to advocate for the school budget. I had just finished a three-year campaign to help get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified in Virginia, I had the time, and I just wanted to do something with my time that was meaningful for a place that I felt passionate about. There was an open opportunity, and I felt like my skill set was a good match for where we were, as someone who had experience as an RPS parent, had experience as an urban planner, and also was very passionate about helping and serving others.
RM: What is the biggest thing you’ve learned since beginning your term?
Jordan: Since serving, the biggest thing I have learned is how passionate Richmonders are about our city and how willing they are to fight for it. This is an incredible time, and people are really struggling, but I’ve just been so in awe of the folks that keep stepping up to fight for their community, keep stepping up to stay in business, keep stepping up to help their neighbors who are in need. Just the amazing amount of heart and passion we have in this community is very inspiring.
Another thing is that you cannot make everyone happy representing a diverse district in a diverse city. With the overwhelming volume of work that City Council deals with, I would love to spend months researching and collaborating with other groups on any one issue, but across the district and across the city the volume of activity is immense. On the upside, Richmond is doing great. We’re struggling with COVID, there’s no question, but people still are coming here to move, they’re still coming here to start new business, and people that are already here are creating new businesses and growing. It’s very encouraging that even with COVID, Richmond is poised to survive this and even come out better for it.
RM: How do you plan to incorporate green initiatives into your governing?
Jordan: I would love to see Richmond be one of the greenest cities in the Southeast. I think that should be a goal we take on, just as much as I’d love to see Richmond have a school system that people move to the city for. Let’s be known for our schools, for our green infrastructure. More specifically, I signed on to legislation recently looking into the benefits of remote working. There are actually some things coming out of this COVID pandemic that folks want to see going forward. Part of that is the flexibility of working from home, because it gets people out of their cars. I’ll be bringing that green awareness; every time something comes before me, [I’ll ask,] “How can this help us with our goal to be net zero by 2050?” I am working with the sustainability manager of the city to come up with more legislation that the city is ready to come forward with.I’ll be a champion for those initiatives. I’ll be an ally for our green community here in the city; they know they have someone on City Council that’s going to champion the environment, that’s going to be fighting for reducing our carbon footprint.
RM: Given the national Black Lives Matter movement that has come to the forefront in the past year, how do you respond to calls to defund the police? How do you plan to make law enforcement officers do their jobs equitably?
Jordan: I support the civilian review board. I hope it has actual teeth and can help us increase transparency [and] accountability and rebuild trust in the community. As far as defunding the police, I am for looking at every budget at the City Council. Every department needs to fight for the dollars they are requesting, and the police department is no different, especially in a year like this when we start off with an expected deficit of $34 million. More to the idea of public safety, I do agree with the people who said, “Look, should social workers be in this?” I believe the folks that are calling for a wider view of what we consider public safety, and when you talk to the police, they agree with that. They don’t necessarily want to be going out on substance abuse and mental health issue calls. I think there is more opportunity for collaboration and shared vision than people realize. I'm excited to have those conversations and make progress on them, not just talk.
RM: What is your future vision for the Diamond and that area? How do you think VCU should be involved?
Jordan: First and foremost, it’s not my vision; it’s going to be the community’s vision. We did just wrap up Richmond 300, which had very robust public participation, and there was a lot of community engagement around the Diamond site. I’m excited by the effort and energy that people across the city and across the district put into that area. Obviously, I’ve been in conversation with our city staff who will be leading that process and working with private developers who want to come in. I think it’s going to be great. I’m very excited to see that transformation. The Scott’s Addition community is also very excited about the direction, and I’m hopeful this will be a new, dynamic area for people in Richmond and people in the region to come to.
RM: Do you support a new stadium to replace the Diamond, and would you allocate public funding to pay for it?
Jordan: I’m definitely open to a new stadium. I do have very fond memories of the Diamond. I like the older, less razzle-dazzle stadiums. I would be happy just keeping the Diamond, but I’m not a minor league baseball team owner, and I do acknowledge that there are limitations to it for what these teams and other users of the property hope for. As far as public funding, every project is unique, and I would have to look at those numbers.
RM: With the COVID-19 pandemic, the problems facing those without housing have been severely exacerbated. What would you do to support that population in Richmond?
Jordan: Right now there is a zoning change going through the city to open up more areas for our unhoused neighbors. Really, we need to be addressing the upstream issues that put these folks in a vulnerable position. We need to have living-wage jobs. We need wraparound services so that families have the support before and after the school bell rings. There are just so many things upstream before that person gets into an unstable housing situation. That’s what I want the city to focus on. I would love more of our dollars focusing upstream so that people can be self-sufficient. There’s always going to be a need for emergency shelters, absolutely, but let’s make sure that we’re addressing the cause of it, not just the symptom.
