Sue Wilson for Richmond City Council D5

I Will Do My Best to Represent You

11/8/24

Although Richmond ballots are still being counted, the lead I have in the polls is strong enough that it looks like I will be taking a seat on the City Council next term. So I’d like to start by thanking people for the support they have shown my campaign.

Thank You!

My first thank you goes to my opponent, Ahmad Anderson, who was one of the first people to call me and express congratulations this week. I appreciate Mr. Anderson’s willingness to debate me on issues without ever resorting to meanness or personal attacks; the same is true for his supporters. He set a standard, and I hope that I did too, for how it should be when two people who care about Richmond run against each other for office. In our call this week he said I can ask him for help in the future, which is something I will certainly do.

My second thank you goes to everyone who voted in this election, whether or not you voted for me. I am honored that so many people share my vision for Richmond and believe that I will do everything I can to make it a reality. If I was not able to win your vote in this election, I hope that through my actions as a city councilmember I will be able to earn your trust.

I thank all of you who contributed to this victory by donating, volunteering, staffing or endorsing my campaign. I was humbled by the support.

I could talk all day about how much I was helped by my husband and daughter during this race. I love and appreciate you both!

Next Steps

It’s a bit of a cliche to brag about how much face-time a candidate had with voters leading up to an election, but I’m going to do it anyway. I knocked on just over 1000 doors in District 5, and talked to about 300 people on their porches. What I learned in these conversations shaped me as a candidate and will set my priorities once in office. For instance,

I knew going in that pollution is a problem Richmond voters want solved, and that was reinforced by many of the people I talked to.
I did not understand how dangerous some of our roads are until so many of you listed that as your number one concern.
I also heard loud and clear that we need a better plan for Stege Elementary; the temporary relocation and the plans for rebuilding with modular structures are not meeting our community’s needs.
I think many of us want increased staffing for those city departments that can help us fix quality of life issues – broken sidewalks, blighted houses, dumping, and so on.

Somehow in the last few months of campaigning I had very few conversations about what a Trump victory would mean for Richmond. But here we are! I can see that the national election results are hitting some parts of our community very hard mentally and emotionally. The uncertainty is weighing on me – it’s difficult to know which policies will be the ones that the federal government tries to enact, and impossible to prepare for every possibility.

I do think state, county and city governments will have an important role to play in protecting all people from whatever unjust and unwise federal policies are on the horizon. As a city councilmember, I will be ready to fight for you and keep you safe in our city. I am confident that the rest of the Richmond City Council feels the same way, and that almost all of your neighbors do too. We are really blessed to live in a place as diverse, tolerant, and resilient as Richmond. I hope we will try extra hard in the next four years to fight for what’s right and take good care of each other while we ride out this storm together.

--Sue

My name is Sue Wilson...

And I am running for Richmond City Council in District 5, which contains the Richmond Annex (including Panhandle), Marina Bay, and the southernmost Southside neighborhoods (Eastshore, Laurel Park, Stege/Cortez, Easter Hill Village).

I am honored to be endorsed by our current District 5 Council Member Gayle McLaughlin, who is not seeking reelection in November.

Gayle McLaughlin was my introduction to Richmond politics -- I went to my first City Council meeting in 2013 to learn about Gayle's plan to help homeowners who were stuck in underwater mortgages due to the subprime mortgage crisis. I was one of them. My husband and I had put all of our money into buying our first house here in Richmond, and within weeks it was worth less than half of what we owed on it. As I sat in that meeting I felt terrible, but also I could not believe how lucky we were to have ended up in the only city with leaders bold enough to hold banks accountable for the mess they had created for working people like me. Gayle inspired me to volunteer for her and for other progressive leaders and causes in Richmond, which I have done for 10 years. So it means a lot to me that Gayle trusts me to carry on her work on City Council.

As a first-time candidate, what I want to convey most is that I love Richmond. There is no place I'd rather live and raise my family. One of the reasons I am running for office is I want more people to see Richmond the way I do.

No Corporate Money Pledge

For too long Richmond politics were influenced by large corporations, especially Chevron. Some of the corporate-backed leaders would govern in the best interest of investors rather than give Richmond residents what they needed. We still deal with the consequences of some of those decisions -- this is how we ended up with contaminated air and the highest child asthma rates in the county. If elected, I want to make decisions solely for the benefit of current and future Richmond residents. To maintain my independence, I will accept no campaign contributions from corporations, businesses, or business-promoting organizations. I think it's important that all candidates for public office make the same pledge, starting here in Richmond.

My Campaign is Endorsed By Many Local Leaders

In politics, teamwork is essential for achieving meaningful progress. I am honored to be endorsed by our Mayor, the County Supervisor that represents Richmond, a majority of the current Richmond City Council Members, and the best candidate to represent Richmond in the State Senate. Having these local leaders in my corner will make me an effective representative for District 5 -- one who is able to get things done for you.

Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez

Richmond City Council Member Gayle McLaughlin

Richmond City Council Member Melvin Willis

Richmond City Council Member Claudia Jimenez

Richmond City Council Member Doria Robinson

AC Transit Board Member & State Senate Candidate Jovanka Beckles

Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia

Antioch City Council Member Tamisha Torres Walker

Pinole City Council Member Devin Murphy

My Campaign is Endorsed by These Organizations

I have received endorsements from independent organizations dedicated to environmental justice, affordable housing, and criminal justice reform, as well as local labor unions and progressive political organizations. These organizations have reviewed my record and interviewed me before making these endorsements. They trust me to do what's right on the issues that matter to Richmond voters most.

Environmental Organizations

Sierra Club
Lead Locally
APEN Action
League of Conservation Voters East Bay

Affordable Housing Organizations

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action
California Democratic Renter Council

Labor Unions

Contra Costa County Central Labor Council
SEIU Local 1021
Richmond Firefighters (IAFF Local 188)
United Teachers of Richmond
IFPTE Local 21
United Steel Workers Local 5
National Union of Healthcare Workers

Political Organizations

Richmond Progressive Alliance
Working Families Party
Young Democrats of Contra Costa County
Bay Rising Action

Other Organizations

Contra Costa Public Defenders Association
Evolve California

About Sue Wilson

Born in Detroit to a nurse and utility company worker, Sue got a B.A. at the University of Michigan before coming to the Bay Area for graduate school. She earned a PhD in Socio-Cultural anthropology at UC Berkeley under the guidance of Professor Laura Nader, writing a dissertation that focused on the black market economy in Cuba. After returning from fieldwork in Havana, Sue joined the labor union that represented graduate student instructors in the University of California system. She was eventually elected unit chair of UAW 2865 and hired as a UAW organizer to work on the successful campaign to unionize student-instructors in the California State University system. Inspired by the power of collective action, Sue accepted a position with the California Nurses Association, where she learned to negotiate collective bargaining agreements and organize strikes and other forms of direct action. She spent much of her career with another healthcare union, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, an AFSCME local that represents public-sector doctors. In addition to handling organizing campaigns and negotiations, Sue served as the Communications Director for UAPD and managed union staff. In 2018 Sue transitioned to full-time consultant work, continuing to offer training, communications, and technical services to labor unions and non-profits while also advising corporate-free political candidates and causes. Sue and her husband Dan bought a home in Richmond in 2007 and welcomed a daughter a year later. In her free time Sue enjoys water-wise gardening, screen printing at the Richmond Art Center, and studying videography and video editing at Berkeley City College.

Why I am Running

I know that almost everything I like about Richmond is the result of someone's effort. People did the work to pass rent control, set up the seed library, organize our farmer's markets and parades, and get coal out of our neighborhoods. Since moving to Richmond in 2008, I have worked behind the scenes to contribute to some of the changes that have made Richmond better. At this moment, I believe I can do more good for Richmond by getting out of my comfort zone and running for office myself.