What Does Progress in Richmond Mean?
Like many people who care deeply about Richmond, I was once drawn to the Richmond Progressive Alliance. I respected their willingness to stand up to corporate influence and fight for working people. It felt like a place where people who loved Richmond could work together to make the city better.
But over the years, the organization’s direction began to shift. The energy that once went toward challenging powerful outside interests increasingly turned inward, with more attention paid to ideological conformity while embracing a style of politics defined by opposition. That style of politics may mobilize activists, but it is poisonous to governing a city. Cities move forward when leaders focus on solving problems and working together.
Getting Started in Richmond
I came to Richmond sixteen years ago because I believed in the promise of this city. I still believe progressive values mean creating opportunity, supporting working families, protecting our environment, and making sure everyone has a fair shot. Since getting involved in local politics in 2014, I’ve served on my neighborhood council, worked with environmental groups, and taken on leadership roles in civic and county organizations while earning a Master’s degree.
Those experiences showed me that Richmond needs leadership that is focused on solving problems, not fighting political battles.
As I became more involved in the city, I found that the approach often associated with RPA didn’t align with how I believe we should move Richmond forward. I also made an effort to better understand every part of our community. One step was going on a police ride-along, where I witnessed the aftermath of a drive-by shooting. What struck me most was how officers treated the community at that moment. They were calm, compassionate, and professional during an incredibly difficult situation.
The officers told me they chose to work in Richmond specifically because our department has a long history of accountability, going back to the Guardians of Justice, and because the city has long been a leader in community policing. That experience gave me a deeper appreciation for the complexity of public safety and how different reality can be from political rhetoric.
For many years, Richmond politics was defined by standing up to powerful interests, and the Richmond Progressive Alliance played an important role in that chapter of our city’s history. They helped push back against corporate influence and demand accountability from powerful institutions.
Today, however, Richmond faces a different challenge.
First, Richmond has reached a point where governing matters more than opposition. Challenging powerful interests was necessary at one time, but today our city faces problems that require solutions, collaboration, and the ability to get things done.
Second, I also saw something else emerge in that political culture: a tendency toward ideological purity tests. When disagreement is treated as disloyalty, people stop speaking honestly and begin navigating around the culture instead of improving it. That dynamic makes it harder to build coalitions and focus on solving real issues facing the city.
Third, Richmond’s future depends on building broader coalitions. Solving the challenges our city faces will require bringing together residents, workers, small businesses, community organizations, and responsible investors. We cannot move Richmond forward if our politics is defined by drawing lines between people instead of building partnerships.
Those differences led me to step away. I remain committed to progressive values, but I believe those values are best served by practical leadership focused on results rather than political factions.
What I’ve learned is that most Richmond residents are not interested in political factions. They want safe neighborhoods, good jobs, thriving small businesses, and a city government that works. They want leaders who solve problems, not just argue about them.
Richmond Faces Real Challenges
Richmond faces real challenges that demand practical solutions. Small businesses struggle with permitting and finding space. Hilltop needs real revitalization. City departments are understaffed, and our police department is stretched thin. Entrepreneurs face red tape that slows opportunity. Families need good jobs that allow them to stay in Richmond, and residents are being priced out while housing development stalls.
Addressing these issues requires leadership that brings people together and focuses on results.
I believe we can protect workers while supporting business growth. We can fight for environmental justice while attracting responsible investment. We can stand up to exploitative corporations while welcoming entrepreneurs who want to build something meaningful in our community.
Why I’m Running Corporate-Free
Standing up to corporate influence was an important chapter in Richmond’s history. But Richmond’s future isn’t just about opposition. It’s about building.
My campaign is corporate-free because I believe government should serve people, not corporate interests. But Richmond should also welcome responsible investment, support local businesses, and encourage people who want to create opportunity in our community. We need leadership that can distinguish between exploitation and opportunity.
We also need to focus on the challenges Richmond actually faces instead of importing political fights from elsewhere. Our job is to solve problems here at home.
I’m running for City Council because Richmond needs practical leadership focused on results. We need leaders who bring people together, solve problems, and help our city move forward.
Richmond is full of hardworking people, small businesses, artists, families, and community leaders who care deeply about this city. The job of local government isn’t to win ideological battles. It’s to make Richmond work for the people who live here.
That’s the leadership I’m committed to bringing to Richmond’s City Council.