A look at Richmond’s next City Council
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Richmond has elected its next City Council, per unofficial election results, with voters picking three new members and ousting one incumbent councilwoman. The nine-member council proposes and amends local laws in Virginia's capital city, works on the budget, helps set policies and appoints members to boards and commissions in the city. The new council members will take office next year. Election results are unofficial until certified. More votes -- including mail-in and provisional ballots -- are expected to come in. Richmond's canvass to check the accuracy of the vote counts is underway. But the margins in each council race appear to be insurmountable, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, previous results and the city's top elections official. Dr. Danny Avula wins Richmond mayor’s race Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer told 8News he’s aiming to have all of the city’s absentee results broken down by precinct before 5 p.m. Wednesday, but if not, they will be released Thursday morning. He said his office plans to announce total provisional ballot numbers Wednesday, telling 8News the bulk came in the 2nd and 5th districts, where council races were uncontested. “Since most of these provisionals are from college students, they tend not to vote in School Board races,” Balmer told 8News. “For the other contests, it doesn’t look like we have enough provisional ballots to impact any race results.” Richmond's nine voter districts. (courtesy of the city of Richmond) Three candidates, including two incumbents, ran unopposed: Councilwoman Katherine L. Jordan in the 2nd District, Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch in the 5th District and Sarah Abubaker in the 4th District. Four incumbents had challengers who they were able to fend off, per unofficial results, but one incumbent, City Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, was ousted in the 3rd District. Andrew S. "Gumby" Breton in the 1st District, Kenya Gibson in the 3rd District and Abubaker in the 4th are set to be the council’s new members. Per unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, here are where the vote counts stand: 1st District: Andrew "Gumby" Breton (2,977 vote lead/49.09% of the vote with 10/10 precincts reporting) Breton, a Mary Munford PTA board member, formerly chaired the Richmond City Democratic Committee. On his campaign website, Breton highlights his 15 years of “experience organizing communities around important issues at all levels of government” and ties in City Hall, the state legislature and Richmond. 2nd District: Katherine L. Jordan Jordan ran unopposed for her second term on the council. 3rd District: Kenya Gibson (963 vote lead/39.21% of the vote with 11/11 precincts reporting) Gibson, the 3rd District’s representative on the city’s school board since 2017, said in her campaign announcement that her core commitments were economic justice, people-first spending and making sure the city’s decisions are transparent and accessible. While mail-in and provisional ballots could come in, it doesn't appear that there will be enough to change the unofficial result. In 2020, only 46 provisional ballots were counted in the 3rd District race. 4th District: Sarah Abubaker Abubaker, who ran unopposed in the 4th District race, is the director of strategic communications at the Collegiate School and a mass communications and public relations associate professor at Virginia State University. She previously served as the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association president, per her campaign website. 5th District: Stephanie A. Lynch Lynch ran unopposed this year. She was first elected to the council in 2019 to fill a vacancy and then won a full four-year term in 2020. 6th District: Ellen F. Robertson (1,957 vote lead/53.29% of the vote with 8/8 precincts reporting) Robertson, a retired community and housing developer, has been on the council since winning a 2003 special election and has served as its vice president multiple times. 7th District: Cynthia I. Newbille (3,925 vote lead/66.75% of the vote with 8/8 precincts reporting) Newbille, who has held the East End District seat since 2009, was the council’s president from 2019 until 2022. She has a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from VCU. 8th District: Reva M. Trammell (2,507 vote lead/67.44% of the vote with 6/6 precincts reporting) Trammell first served on the council in 1998, a tenure that lasted until 2002. She was then elected in 2006 to be the district’s council member, a seat she has held since then. 9th District: Nicole Jones (1,050 vote lead/57.95% of the vote with 6/6 precincts reporting) Jones was a former city school board member for the 9th District and is the newest member of the city council after being appointed to take over for Del. Michael Jones (no relation).
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Richmond has elected its next City Council, per unofficial election results, with voters picking three new members and ousting one incumbent councilwoman.
The nine-member council proposes and amends local laws in Virginia's capital city, works on the budget, helps set policies and appoints members to boards and commissions in the city.
The new council members will take office next year.
Election results are unofficial until certified. More votes -- including mail-in and provisional ballots -- are expected to come in. Richmond's canvass to check the accuracy of the vote counts is underway.
But the margins in each council race appear to be insurmountable, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, previous results and the city's top elections official.
Dr. Danny Avula wins Richmond mayor’s race
Richmond General Registrar Keith Balmer told 8News he’s aiming to have all of the city’s absentee results broken down by precinct before 5 p.m. Wednesday, but if not, they will be released Thursday morning.
He said his office plans to announce total provisional ballot numbers Wednesday, telling 8News the bulk came in the 2nd and 5th districts, where council races were uncontested.
“Since most of these provisionals are from college students, they tend not to vote in School Board races,” Balmer told 8News. “For the other contests, it doesn’t look like we have enough provisional ballots to impact any race results.”
Richmond's nine voter districts. (courtesy of the city of Richmond)
Three candidates, including two incumbents, ran unopposed: Councilwoman Katherine L. Jordan in the 2nd District, Councilwoman Stephanie A. Lynch in the 5th District and Sarah Abubaker in the 4th District.
Four incumbents had challengers who they were able to fend off, per unofficial results, but one incumbent, City Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert, was ousted in the 3rd District.
Andrew S. "Gumby" Breton in the 1st District, Kenya Gibson in the 3rd District and Abubaker in the 4th are set to be the council’s new members.
Per unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections, here are where the vote counts stand:
1st District: Andrew "Gumby" Breton (2,977 vote lead/49.09% of the vote with 10/10 precincts reporting)
- Breton, a Mary Munford PTA board member, formerly chaired the Richmond City Democratic Committee. On his campaign website, Breton highlights his 15 years of “experience organizing communities around important issues at all levels of government” and ties in City Hall, the state legislature and Richmond.
2nd District: Katherine L. Jordan
- Jordan ran unopposed for her second term on the council.
3rd District: Kenya Gibson (963 vote lead/39.21% of the vote with 11/11 precincts reporting)
- Gibson, the 3rd District’s representative on the city’s school board since 2017, said in her campaign announcement that her core commitments were economic justice, people-first spending and making sure the city’s decisions are transparent and accessible.
- While mail-in and provisional ballots could come in, it doesn't appear that there will be enough to change the unofficial result. In 2020, only 46 provisional ballots were counted in the 3rd District race.
4th District: Sarah Abubaker
- Abubaker, who ran unopposed in the 4th District race, is the director of strategic communications at the Collegiate School and a mass communications and public relations associate professor at Virginia State University.
- She previously served as the Westover Hills Neighborhood Association president, per her campaign website.
5th District: Stephanie A. Lynch
- Lynch ran unopposed this year. She was first elected to the council in 2019 to fill a vacancy and then won a full four-year term in 2020.
6th District: Ellen F. Robertson (1,957 vote lead/53.29% of the vote with 8/8 precincts reporting)
- Robertson, a retired community and housing developer, has been on the council since winning a 2003 special election and has served as its vice president multiple times.
7th District: Cynthia I. Newbille (3,925 vote lead/66.75% of the vote with 8/8 precincts reporting)
- Newbille, who has held the East End District seat since 2009, was the council’s president from 2019 until 2022. She has a Ph.D. in public policy and administration from VCU.
8th District: Reva M. Trammell (2,507 vote lead/67.44% of the vote with 6/6 precincts reporting)
- Trammell first served on the council in 1998, a tenure that lasted until 2002. She was then elected in 2006 to be the district’s council member, a seat she has held since then.
9th District: Nicole Jones (1,050 vote lead/57.95% of the vote with 6/6 precincts reporting)
- Jones was a former city school board member for the 9th District and is the newest member of the city council after being appointed to take over for Del. Michael Jones (no relation).
