On Tuesday Nov. 4 when Richmond residents head to the polls to cast their vote to either elect Joe the Plumber’s press agent or “The One,” they will also have the chance to cast their vote for Richmond’s next mayor.
I’m going to assume a lot more Richmonders watched the presidential debates than went to the mayoral forums because, well, I was and there were plenty of seats available.
So, you’ve been given the choice to elect your mayor, and there are four candidates left in the running, but who to choose? Maybe we can help.
Robert J. Grey, Jr.
Robert Grey is a 58-year-old corporate lawyer at Hunton & Williams with his roots right here in Richmond. Grey attended Richmond public schools and received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Grey’s vision is for the city to stick to it’s “City of the Future” plan, with his biggest focus seeming to be on building the 15 new schools included in that plan. Grey also says he wants to “end bickering at City Hall,” which is great, but none of the other candidates appear to be running on any sort of “continue the bickering” platform.
Grey’s other big strategies include increased policing and lowering costs for city services. While taking care of those projects, along with those previously mentioned 15 new schools, Grey wants to reduce taxes. His idea is that if you make services more efficient, costs will go down and allow those tax cuts to happen. For more information, check out his full profile.
Dwight C. Jones
Rev. Dwight Jones, 60, was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates since 1993 where he still serves. Jones graduated from Virginia Union University. Jones has his own plan of action if he’s elected. He calls it his “To Build a Better Richmond" plan.
According to his campaign website this plan involves developing a world class school system; restoring financial and fiscal accountability; providing health care for children; sustaining the city's reputation as a good place to do business; creating a safety net for less fortunate residents; and creating safe and secure neighborhoods. For more information, check out his full profile.
William J. “Bill” Pantele
Bill Pantele, 49, is running on the platform that he is “The People’s Mayor,” but what exactly is he looking to do for the people?
Pantele is already president of City Council and he’s also a private attorney who received his law degree from the University of Richmond. On his campaign Web site Pantele lists his major focuses as: safer city; better schools; working together; cutting waste; transportation; historic preservation; and revitalizing Richmond.
One of Pantele’s big transportation plans (and one could argue this also falls under historic preservation) is to build a trolley loop from Main Street Station all the way to Carytown. Which would be fitting since Richmond is the birthplace of the trolley, but one must not overlook the cost of such a project.
Like Robert Grey, Pantele supports the City of the Future plan. Pantele has also stated that if elected he will dismantle the taxpayer-funded mayoral security detail get rid of car allowances for top city officials, including the mayor. Both were items recently brought up in city audits. Pantele’s Web site mentions him fighting to lower property taxes while in City Council, but makes no mention of implementing tax cuts if elected. For more information, check out his full profile.
Lawrence E. Williams, Sr.
Lawrence Williams, 55, is a Richmond born and raised architect (he attended Richmond public schools but received his degrees from the University of Virginia and Harvard) and he’s been using his knowledge of architecture as part of his platform. At the second Richmondecision 2008 forum back on Oct. 14, Williams said that as an architect he is an artist, and Richmond needs a mayor with artistic vision. Of course, the topic of the night was arts and culture.
The main idea behind the Williams campaign is to make Richmond “the most livable city in America.”
Williams ran a failed campaign for the mayor’s office four years ago and has run three times for City Council though was never elected. This might send a mixed message. If he wasn’t good enough then what would be different now? Or, he’s obviously dedicated to wanting to be a big part of helping Richmond.
Williams has a clear vision of three new middle schools in Richmond. He's said that middle school, as a transitional time in kids’ lives, needs to be providing Richmond students with the motivation to stay on track. He sees these middle schools acting as neighborhood centers. The plan is for a new Martin Luther King Middle School, a new Chandler Middle School at Dove Street and a new Boushall Middle School on Bellemede Road. For more information, check out his full profile.
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