5th District Geography
Richmond’s 5th District includes areas north and south of the James River. In the north, the district is bounded by Floyd Avenue west of North Shields Avenue and east of North Laurel Street. East of North Shields to Rothesay Road, the district is bounded by Ellwood Avenue. The 5th District is bounded in the south mainly by Hull Street. In the east, it is mostly bounded by South Belvidere Street, which turns into Cowardin Avenue in the south after it crosses the Robert E. Lee Bridge. The district includes much of the southern portion of VCU’s Monroe Park Campus, including the Gladding Residence Center dorms and Cary and Belvidere student housing. It includes Oregon Hill, Carytown and southern portions of the Fan.

E. Martin ‘Marty’ Jewell

Incumbent
Age: 66
Political Affiliation: Independent
Political Experience: 5th District City Councilman since 2005
Current Employment: Owner, Total Home Care Residential Cleaning Service

Ryan Murphy
News Editor

Marty Jewell is an eight-year veteran of the Richmond City Council. He’s seeking a fourth term as the 5th District’s representative, but two challengers are hoping to unseat him on Nov. 6.

Jewell is a small business owner and a graduate of Virginia Union University. According to his website, he has been working in public advocacy in Richmond for 30 years.

Jewell recently said in an interview with Richmond.com that the biggest issue in the 5th District is the condition of the sidewalks. He noted that the biggest concern in the district used to be crime, but that the crime rate in the area has declined over the last few years.

One of Jewell’s recent legislative victories was sponsoring a bill that raised the temperature for the Cold Weather Overflow shelter to be opened to the homeless from 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. This is part of what his website describes as a commitment “to fighting for the rights and interests of the elderly, the disadvantaged and the young who often are forgotten people.”

Jewell told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that if re-elected, he would want to look at revising the tax code, which is a product of a time when people and businesses were moving out of the city.

One of those competitors has outraised Jewell almost two-to-one in campaign contributions. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, first-time candidate Parker Agelasto has raised over $34,000 since beginning his campaign for the 5th District, including $500 from Richmond’s Democratic Party.

Jewell has taken in $17,375 and Lee Shewmake, the other challenger, has raised just $5,440. This election marks Shewmake’s second attempt to take the council seat from Jewell — she lost a bid for the position in 2008.