This week we asked the Richmond’s candidates for Mayor, City Council, and School Board to answer:

“How do you plan to find the funding to invest in your priorities?“

Answers are listed below in the following order:

Community Poll Results
Mayoral Candidates (in the order in which they responded)
City Council (districts 1-9, alphabetical order)
School Board (ditto)

Community Poll Results

We broke down the candidate answers into three themes and asked the Richmond subreddit and our Twitter/X followers to vote for the response they most identified with. The winner was unanimous. Residents want to see city leaders spend tax dollars more efficiently so we can better fund the city’s priorities.

Seems this is top of mind after a busy month of headlines of city employee’s questionable spending on P cards and the misappropriation of millions of dollars in RPS transportation funds, though I have no way of knowing if that influenced these polls.

Mayoral Candidates

Dr Danny Avula

Create an efficient City Hall that better handles its finances and improves operations to capitalize on revenue opportunities.

Grow our tax base (not our rate!) by investing in thriving neighborhoods across RVA.

Demand that the Commonwealth pay its fair share.

**Andreas Addison**

I will unlock the potential of city-owned assets to create transformational opportunities – like a new Workforce Development Center in Southside – and use revenue from planned development to fund critical investments instead of raising property taxes.

**Michelle Mosby**

As Mayor I will continue to work with state partners, we will make the case to ask for more funding for students and housing affordability for our young people and help our seniors remain in their homes as property values rise.

**Harrison Roday**

Grow our economy (be an affordable & great place for people to thrive and small biz to grow!)
Partner with the GA and Feds to bring more $ to the City (Youngkin vetoed some things that would have been helpful)
Audit every agency to ensure we are spending taxpayer $ wisely

**Maurice Neblett**

As Mayor, I will leverage public-private partnerships, secure state and federal grants, and optimize the city's budget to prioritize essential investments. By fostering economic growth and improving financial management, we can fund initiatives that benefit all Richmond residents

City Council Candidates

Andrew “Gumby” Breton
1st District

In terms of finding new/extra money, we must ensure we are capturing all state & federal $$ available to us, as well as all grants.
And w/ tax reform, we can capitalize on new investment in our city while stopping the rise in real estate tax on those who wish to stay in place.

Paul Goldman - 1st District

Several years ago, I showed how to cut $50 million in non/essential spending. It was never done. City government is a cesspool for political patronage and sweetheart contracts.

Zac Walker
1st District

I’ll champion a pro-business approach. I am in favor of hiring a city manager to collaborate with the council and mayor, we will ensure budget balance and accountability. Our focus on fiscal responsibility will drive smart development and support for schools.

Maria Carra Rose
3rd District

Some priorities are; fully funded schools, safe & navigable transportation, responsive & accountable government. Being responsive is a given for me within any role. Partnering w/ surrounding counties will help w/ transportation safety funding. Looking @ grant $ for schools.

Sarah Abubaker
4th District

Outside of the normal budget process you can raise funds with impact fees on developers for infrastructure developments such as utilities and schools. And you can enforce exactions - project requirements developers must fulfill as a part of the development deal.

Tavares Floyd
6th District

Affordable housing without raising taxes:I'll champion public-private partnerships, streamline zoning and leverage state &federal grants that the city doesn’t utilize. Redirect city funds from underutilized areas and make our affordable housing trust fund work. Impact fees & TIFs

Willie Hilliard
6th District

Richmond should transition from a flat-rate property tax system to one of split-rate taxation. SRT is the only policy tool available to the city to raise significant additional revenue without burdening regular Richmonders, and would incentivize affordable housing construction.

Ellen Robertson
6th District

The abatement of real-estate taxes will yield new revenues annually, plus the bonds at 10mil, and Lisc $10mil are the dedicated sources to reach $100mil; plus low-interest loans revenues

Eric Sundberg
7th District

Collaborate with the GA to allow income-based tax relief and wealth taxes
Direct departments to pursue all available state and federal grants
Restrict property acquisitions by tax-exempt entities like VCU
Cut harmful and unproductive spending; end corporate handouts

Reva Trammell
8th District

Priorities- to bring entertainment, and restaurants by building a Coliseum. The City has a AAA rating, so it can issue bonds. I also want to continue the development of affordable housing with developer partnerships such as The Maggie Walker Community Land Trust .

Frank Wilson
8th District

There are roughly 6 recurring priorities. Finding ways to fund them will require thinking and working outside the box with government agencies, for profit and not for profit organizations, and others to effect timely, meaningful, and measurable change.

Nicole Jones
9th District

I’ll fund 9th District needs by advocating for school funding from the General Assembly, helping developers use city grants to build affordable housing, and partnering with non-profits to inform residents about financial resources to improve their lives.

Stephanie Starling
9th District

I plan to explore a variety of funding sources to invest in my community's priorities effectively. Some strategies I will consider include city budget reallocation, grant opportunities, public-private partnerships, and community engagement.

School Board Candidates

Kathryn “Katie” Ricard
2nd District

Two-fold: First, investing in building relationships with Richmond's city council and our state representatives so they trust our governance, vision, and budgetary needs. Second, creating a sound, multi-year financial plan that identifies the schools that truly need repairs.

Charlene Riley
3rd District

Understanding the way school are funded, I think that it's time we put the pressure on city council, the mayor office about why we are paying such high taxes but our school don't reflect the same. We need transparency with funds that are set aside for schools.

Kevin Starlings
3rd District

A multi-pronged approach. Identify areas of inefficiency for cost savings or reallocation. Streamlining operations, without needing to increase spending overall. Seek out partnerships both public and private. Engage with the community on where our resources should be allocated.

Wesley Hedgepeth
4th District

We must advocate at all levels of government to fully fund our schools, that includes working with city council and the General Assembly for fairer funding for RPS. In addition, school consolidation and redistricting will allow for us to focus on school quality over quantity.

Angela Fontaine
4th District

Students in many localities feel the effects of insufficient state funding. Richmond City teachers and staff, including REA, have worked hard for many years to fight for increased funding. One of my ambitions is to use my position to support this work as much as possible.

Garrett Sawyer
4th District

Strong advocacy with City Council to maintain annual investments into RPS; assessment of unused RPS buildings to determine revenue opportunities to rebuild/renovate schools; and strong advocacy with General Assembly to redo LCI calculations.

Stephanie Rizzi
5th District

Our schools need more funding, and we must advocate to both state and federal governments. Virginia schools get 14% less funding than the national average, requiring an additional billion dollars for upgrades. Local support is important, but we need state and federal action to meet our needs.

Mamie Taylor
5th District

I will foster relationships with Council members and scale back the operational budget via Board Legal and purchased services; as well, variable costs that move in lockstep with sales volume through Supt. Kamras. I'll also review turnover and unfilled positions for pay stability.

Shonda Harris-Muhammed
6th District

Expand our Culinary Arts program
Rent out our educational spaces to other organizations for a fee
Continue to apply for private grants
Implement small scale sponsorships
Offer business partners to invest in RPS.
We must have a vision and think out of the box

Cheryl Burke
7th District

Partnerships, in kind services, and fundraising events facilitated by RPSEFoundation.

PH “Cruz” Sherman
8th District

There are two options that I believe is feasible.
Partnering with local corporations are generally good avenues to fund projects that would enhance and elevate RPS.
Working closely with City Council earmark or allocate funding for specific RPS projects.

No Response Provided

Matthew Percival (1st - School Board)
Katherine Jordan (2nd - City Council)
Mariah White (2nd - School Board)
Ali Faruk (3rd - School Board)
Kenya Gibson (3rd - City Council)
Ann-Frances Lambert (3rd - City Council)
Stephanie Lynch (5th - City Council)
Cynthia Newbille (7th - City Council)
EJ Jafari (8th - School Board)
Shavonda Dixon (9th - School Board)

As a reminder, all candidates have been invited to participate via the email address listed on their candidate registration paperwork. If there’s a better way to reach a candidate, please reach out to us at info@rvadirt.com. Thanks!

Many thanks to our participants this week! We appreciate y’all making time during your holiday to connect with Richmond voters.

We’ll be back next week with our next survey question. Check X/Twitter, Threads, and Reddit for a chance to participate in our community survey to see how your values compare to our aspiring local leaders. Cheers!

Summer Candidate Survey Series: Week 2