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