Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney talks to a reporter on Election Day. Stoney declared victory in the mayor's race, while some local races remain undecided. (Photo by Jay Paul)
As Americans anxiously await the results of a close presidential election, several Richmond candidates appear poised either to unseat incumbents or take over vacated seats in local races, while Mayor Levar Stoney secured enough votes to win his reelection outright.
Though the votes from a final batch of absentee ballots remained unreported as of early Friday afternoon, unofficial tallies from Election Day and an initial round of absentee votes show Stoney winning a second term against a crowded field of challengers that included outgoing 2nd District City Councilmember Kim Gray, local lawyer and frequent Navy Hill project critic Justin Griffin, and Alexsis Rodgers, the Virginia director for labor organization Care in Action.
With around 104,900 ballots counted as of Friday, Stoney won in six of the city’s nine districts, avoiding a runoff election next month under the city’s mini-electoral college system that requires mayoral candidates to win in at least five districts. Gray only won in the 1st District, while Rodgers racked up wins in the city’s 2nd and 5th districts.
“I’m going to double down on unity, not on division, and my door will remain open to all of those who are elected to the City Council for us to continue to move a progressive, positive agenda forward for the residents of the great city of Richmond,” Stoney said during a COVID-19 media briefing one day after the election.
In concession statements issued in the days after the election, all three opposing candidates thanked supporters and said they remain committed to improving the city.
“Across the commonwealth and here in Richmond, we saw record turnout, especially during the early voting period. We are all waiting for final counts because of this record turnout, but it appears that our campaign will come up short,” Rodgers wrote in an email to supporters.
Heading into his second term, continued pandemic relief is likely to remain a large concern for Stoney, and he’s said other priorities will include a universal pre-K plan and a sprawling effort to memorialize Black history in Richmond with the Shockoe Area Memorial Park. Promises to reform policing in the city in the wake of protests sparked by the police killing of George Floyd that include the formation of a civilian review board and a Marcus Alert system have yet to materialize.
Elsewhere, Richmond City Council incumbents Andreas Addison, 1st District; Kristen Larson, 4th District; Stephanie Lynch, 5th District; Ellen Robertson, 6th District; Cynthia Newbille, 7th District; and Michael Jones, 9th District held onto their seats, though remaining council races remained close at press time.
With final absentee ballots outstanding, IT manager Tavarris Spinks leads urban planner Katherine Jordan by just 26 votes in the 2nd District City Council race, while 3rd District candidate Ann-Frances Lambert held a 206-vote lead over Elaine Summerfield and Willie Hilliard for the seat vacated by longtime Councilmember Chris Hilbert, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
"While the vast majority of results are in and I am currently ahead, it would be irresponsible to comment further on the outcome of this election until every vote has been counted,” Sprinks wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
In the 8th District, incumbent Reva Trammel appeared to be in the lead against challengers Amy Wentz and Regie Ford, though Wentz questioned unofficial vote tallies in the days after the election.
“As we await election results in the 8th District, I remain committed to you and your right to choose the next leader of this incredible district. Sometimes it takes time to count every vote, but when done fairly and with transparency, we know the process is working,” Wentz wrote in a message to supporters on Thursday. According to current unofficial totals, she trails Trammel by just under 300 votes.
The Richmond School Board also saw a shake-up, with (as in the case of City Council) every member up for reelection.
Scott Barlow, who has represented the city’s 2nd District on the school board since 2016, appeared to be the school board incumbent to lose reelection. Challenger Mariah White, who has two children currently attending Richmond Public Schools, currently leads Barlow by more than 2,000 votes.
“I have two small children who go to Richmond schools, so I have seen the difference in the schools. I’m looking at equity for all children, and that has inspired me,” said White, who unsuccessfully ran for the seat on two prior occasions.
Races for seats vacated by retiring board members Patrick Sapini, 5th District, and Linda Owen, 9th District, also appeared to be decided, while the contest to replace outgoing 6th District member Felicia Cosby remains too close to call, with former 6th District school board member Shonda Matia Harris-Muhammed in the lead by 228 votes.
VCU professor Stephanie Rizzi won an unofficial 54% of the vote against three opponents for Sapini’s seat on the board, while ART 180 Deputy Director Nicole Jones won Owen’s seat unopposed.
“I'm here to listen and learn, and I think that by doing so, not only will it provide the opportunity to provide the best outcomes that I as a school board member can present, but also build unity amongst my colleagues,” Jones says.
Rizzi, an educator with a career spanning nearly three decades, says her priorities will include reducing the amount of arrests made in schools, improving graduation rates, and allowing teachers and school administrators greater access in the school governance process.
“I've been on the other side of that, and I know what it's like to come to school after the summer break and find out that you're teaching an entirely different grade in a different room without any warning, and I don't think that is fair,” she says. “I don’t think we always treat teachers as the professionals that they are, so that’s one big thing that I’d like to work to make sure I help change.”
