Incumbents perform in City Council races, seismic changes on School Board

CITY COUNCIL

A majority of incumbents won re-election to the Richmond City Council in last Tuesday’s election.

Reva Trammell was re-elected in the Eighth District with almost 79 percent of the vote.

In the Sixth District, Ellen Robertson kept her seat despite a challenge from Donald Moss, who was endorsed by the Richmond City Democratic Committee.

Fifth District Councilman Parker Agelasto won against Garrett Sawyer and Montigue Magruder.

In the Third District, Chris Hilbert, who was briefly a candidate for mayor, won re-election.

VCU alumna and two-term School Board member Kim Gray won her bid to replace outgoing Councilman Charles Samuels in the Second District. Gray’s victory over opponent Charlie Diradour was separated by 1,330 votes of the 13,037 ballots cast in that district, according to unofficial results. Rebecca Keel, another VCU alumna, came in third place with about 12 percent of the vote.

Four-term Councilwoman Kathy Graziano chose not to seek re-election in the Fourth District this year. Graziano will be replaced by Kristen Nye Larson, according to unofficial results. Larson came out on top against four other candidates.

The Ninth District Council seat vacated by Michelle Mosby, who ran on the mayoral ticket this election, will be filled by 49-year-old Village of Faith Church pastor Michael Jones.

Jones also competed in a crowded field that included Leon Benjamin Sr., another church pastor and bishop; Germika Pegram, a clinician policy consultant; and Marcus Omar Squires.

SCHOOL BOARD

While the race for the 5th District seat in Richmond’s School Board remains uncertain, it is certain that next School Board will have no more than two incumbents when its sessions begin.

Chair Jeffrey Bourne is the only member of last year’s school board that can be certain he will keep his seat. He fended off challenges from Kevin Starlings and Jessee Perry to win more than 62 percent of the vote in last Tuesday’s election.

Mamie Taylor, who represents the 5th District, has no such assurance as the 5th District race as her challenger in the district, Patrick Sapini, leads her by 153 votes according to the unofficial count as of press time.

The race will not be decided until the official result is released by the City of Richmond. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond Registrar J. Kirk Showalter said that “isn’t likely to happen before Tuesday.”

When the official result is announced, the losing candidate will have the chance to demand a recount.

In the second district, Virginia Area Young Democrats Vice President Scott Barlow defeated Mariah White to assume Kim Gray’s vacated seat. The 28-year-old Drexel Law School graduate walked alongside anti-Trump protesters the day after his victory. He said he was pleased to see young voters come out in droves in the 2nd District.

“I think it’s fairly inspiring to see so many young people who are passionate and getting involved,” Barlow said. “I was really blown away yesterday I spent most of the day at a precinct at VCU and saw hundreds of people wrapped around the block to vote.”

Liz Doerr won the 1st District, Jonathan Young won the fourth district, Nadine Marsh-Carter won the 7th District and Dawn Page won the 8th District.

Linda Baker Owen ran unopposed in the 9th District.

NEWS EDITOR

Fadel Allassan
Fadel is a junior political science major. He is fluent in English, French and Sarcasm, and he probably doesn’t like you. Fadel enjoys writing about local, regional and national politics and making people drive him to Cook-Out. Fadel is too stubborn to write his own bio, so his executive editor had to do it for him. No hard feelings, though.
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