(music) This is the “RVA Mayoral Forum” presented by VPM, 12 On Your Side, And ChamberRVA.

This evening's moderators are Angie Miles from VPM, and Curt Autry from 12 On Your Side.

Tonight's candidates are Andreas Addison, Danny Avula, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett, and Harrison Roday.

(music) Welcome to the studios of VPM.

We are joined this evening by five candidates who seek to lead the city of Richmond for the next four years.

I'm Angie MIles with VPM News, and I'm Curt Autry with 12 On Your Side.

Thanks for joining us tonight.

Now, all five of these Richmond doors have been very active, engaging with the community in a number of public ways for many, many months now.

And with the election just 34 days away.

We welcome them to the stage tonight.

Now, before we begin, let's cover a few of the ground rules.

Opening and closing statements are one minute each.

The order of these statements was predetermined at random right before, and no candidate has seen the questions ahead of time.

And we will not be asking the same question of everyone.

But some we might.

-Some we might.

There are two question and answer rounds with timed one minute responses.

And as moderators, we have discretion to offer any or all of the candidates 30 seconds for rebuttal.

There will be two lightning rounds of questions where short responses, including yes or no answers are required.

And finally, each candidate can use two wild cards at any time during the regular Q and A rounds, they can ask to answer a question that was not directed to them.

Again, they have only two.

So we begin now with opening statements and again randomly we selected the first person to speak is Mr. Maurice Neblett.

Thank you.

Good evening Richmond.

I'm Maurice Neblett a dedicated community member in the City of Richmond.

Entrepreneur.

And your candidate for mayor.

With education in criminology and criminal justice from Virginia Union University, I understand the complexities in regards to the public safety and justice that our city faces.

I founded and began businesses in the City of Richmond, and one of which is a security firm.

With that security firm, I believe that it gave me the economic stability and growth that I need to become the city's next mayor.

I want to make sure that my vision is clear.

I want to focus on our economic development, our education, our infrastructure and our safety, along with the housing crisis.

It's our time to have a person who represents us.

Inclusive.

Thank you.

All right.

Next up, Mr. Roday.

Your opening statement.

Good evening everyone.

I'm Harrison Roday, and I'm running for mayor because I'm a proven Democrat who's ready to do the job on day one.

I started my career with Senator Kaine and President Obama.

So I know what it means to have leaders who serve people and who listen to the needs of residents.

I worked in manufacturing, and I love manufacturing because people come together with common purpose to build something.

And that's the kind of work we need to do in City Hall and across our community.

During the height of COVID, when businesses were shuttered, I started a nonprofit called Bridging Virginia that supports women and black owned businesses with access to loans.

Because a level playing field needs to be more than a talking point.

Your next mayor needs to be the person who has the right combination of shared democratic values and experience to do the job.

I'm looking forward to earning your support.

Thank you.

And our next opening statement is from Mr. Addison.

I'm Andreas Addison, a 16 year public servant for the City of Richmond.

My upbringing taught me how government and a strong community can empower working families.

I grew up in Shenandoah County, where I was raised by my mom, who worked part time jobs, and my stepdad, who did maintenance work.

I grew up on free lunch, food stamps, and social Security checks.

I started working when I was 14 to help support my family to make ends meet.

I'm here today before you as a- because of a strong community, one with afterschool programs, supportive teachers and friends and parents who encouraged me to further my education.

I attended Virginia Tech on a Pell Grant where I learned political science.

And then I moved to Richmond because I wanted to give back and apply my education here in Richmond.

I worked in City Hall for eight years, committed to making government work in more effectively and responsibly for all residents.

My solutions.

Oh, sorry.

It's the wrong order.

My solutions were never funded.

So I quit from my job and ran for City Council over the last eight years.

I am proud of the progress we've made.

We increased funding for schools, improved funding to pave streets have the best transit systems in the country.

And I've made it fair free transit.

All right, Ms. Mosby, your turn.

Hello, Richmond.

I'm Michelle Mosby, and I'm running for mayor because I love our city.

And I believe that Richmond need someone who will be focused on the Richmond residents and the businesses of our city.

I'm a business owner of 23 years in the city of Richmond, and so I know what it's like to own a business and need, initiatives and policies that work to make small businesses work.

I am a realtor and an associate broker, so I've been selling real estate for over 18 years.

And so I know what it's like to ensure that people have housing and housing affordability.

I am also a nonprofit executive director helping those who have been incarcerated.

So putting solutions to problems is a part of what I do every single day.

And last but not least, I served on City Council from 2012 to 2016, making sure that I was bringing those experiences and making sure that policy, also came with those experiences so that people's lives could be better.

And so I'm running for mayor, and I'm asking you to run along with this journey with me.

Thank you so much.

And now completing our opening statements, we have Doctor Avula.

I'm running for mayor because I love this city.

I've tackled some of the biggest challenges that our local and state government have faced, and I want to bring that experience to City Hall.

I love this city because it's been my home for over two decades.

My wife teaches in Richmond Public schools.

Our five kids have all gone to Richmond Public Schools.

This is a city that has shaped and formed us.

I love this city because it is the place that has made our family, when we were dead last in the country, in terms of getting COVID vaccinations into arms.

Governor Northam called me and asked me to lead the state vaccination effort.

We went from 50th to the top ten most vaccinated state in the country, and we did it by partnering with the private sector, by listening deeply to community, by improving processes and by focusing on outcomes.

And those are the experiences that I want to bring to City Hall, because if we're going to solve affordable housing, improve educational outcomes, expand health care access, and create an effective and accountable city government, that's the experience the next mayor of the city needs.

I'm going to be a leader who makes sure every Richmonder has the opportunity to grow and thrive, and nobody gets left behind.

All right, now that we've heard your opening statements, it's time for the first line of questioning.

I'll begin tonight.

At least two of you operate a business in the City of Richmond.

Mr. Addison, you have a gym, Ms. Mosby, you have a hair salon.

I'd like each of you to tell us which is the biggest problem that you deal with encountering the city of Richmond.

And if you were to become mayor, what would you do to fix that problem?

We'll start with you, Ms. Mosby.

-Sure.

I'm going to say the biggest problem that I've had is, trying to get my business license, each year on time after making the payment.

And so what I plan to do as mayor is improve our technology.

We need updated technology.

Upgraded technology that will provide accuracy.

We need to ensure that our employees are trained to this technology, to our processes so that they can be at their best and provide services at their best.

And so for me, it's changing, shifting a culture change in City Hall.

It's getting the technology up to date.

I think that we've been working with antiquated technology and it's causing the people of Richmond, discomfort.

Thank you.

All right, Ms. Mosby, thank you.

Mr. Addison, what's the biggest problem at the gym?

And what would you do to fix it?

Well, I think one of the hardest parts was during the 18 month journey to open my doors.

I was struggling to try to find answers to what the status was.

Where is my application for my building permit?

Where are we with my inspections?

And I didn't have one person to turn to.

One of the biggest things I'll do as mayor is really organize a stronger economic development authority to be that front door to serve our businesses, those who are looking to invest and open their doors to hire local residents and add to our vibrancy as a city, because I did not have that one point of contact, and I know it would help us immensely to know that we are supporting with our businesses, to make sure we feel that value that they have of their time and their blood, sweat and tears to open their doors.

Another important piece is making sure that we're doing this equitably.

I want to make sure that we are focusing on our SWaM businesses and our Black and brown entrepreneurs as well.

I want to make sure that as we plan for our future city, when we have new economic development projects, that they're included with, understanding any barriers to access to capital or means to open their doors as minimized as possible.

All right.

The next question goes to Dr. Avula and to Mr. Neblett.

Richmond, like many cities and towns across America, has challenges with mental health, including among those who are unhoused and among our young people.

As mayor are there specific ways that you might address both the need for and access to mental health services?

Doctor, doctor, Avula, go ahead.

I think one of the things that we have seen in recent years is, the epidemic of mental health really impact our community.

We've seen our psychiatric facilities be filled up with kids who are suffering from depression and anxiety.

We've also seen a real uptick in, the presence of the unhoused.

We know that there are good solutions to address the unhoused population in Richmond.

If we were able to partner with our region to build 400 units of permanent supportive housing we could significantly change, the life for unhoused individuals in this region.

That kind of partnership, that kind of regional collaboration, is work that I've done as public health director.

I merged the Richmond and Henrico Health Department and I led the regional COVID response.

So much of my work as a public health director was setting the table and convening different partners to come up with unique regional solutions to improve complex problems like this.

All right.

Thank you so much.

Mr. Neblett.

Yes.

So I've been committed to the community, helping veterans and families in crisis on a day to day basis as a community organizer.

What I've seen is a lot of stressors.

Stressors that can affect individual psyche, and one of which is the housing crisis.

We do need to resolve the housing crisis while providing affordable home ownership as well, implement greenery to help our environment and help individuals to enjoy their, their setting.

The thing is, though, we have, the state, which increased the crisis, mobile crisis.

But they have to go to stable stations, and then someone has to pick them up.

The thing is, we need to provide mental health services inside of our schools for our students, and also have them for our teachers.

We also need to have them along lines for our RPD as well.

because on a day to day basis, they face challenges, on call for service.

So I believe that we need to hone in more for services in regards to mental health.

And I believe, with me being mayor, I will provide more support in that area.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

All right, Mr. Roday I want you to pretend that I am a fortune 500 CEO.

And I'm considering moving my corporate headquarters to Richmond.

But I also like Raleigh.

Sell me on Richmond.

You know, I think if you went to any city in America and said, I'm going to give you a list of five things that you can choose from, you can choose from a world class river, an amazing history of tourism, a diverse and growing population, a an incredible arts and culture scene, and wonderful small businesses and restaurants.

I think any other city would say, I would be thrilled to have one of those things, and we have all five of those things in Richmond.

We have a growing tax base that is going to allow us to invest in solving systemic problems that for far too long have been left unaddressed, like access to affordable housing, investing in our public schools and supporting our neighborhoods.

Richmond can be the most affordable place to raise a family and send a child to public school.

Thank you.

The next question is for Mr. Addison.

Richmond has one of the worst eviction rates in the country.

How accountable is the city's mayor for a high eviction rate?

And what would you do as mayor to provide better protections for tenants without being unreasonable to landlords?

Well, this is something we just did last week.

City Council approved my pilot funding for a right to counsel for evictions.

I sat in the eviction courtroom last year and saw firsthand the hardships that people were facing, that were being evicted from their homes and without legal representation.

There was no way to navigate this prior to coming to court.

And so one of the biggest reasons why I think we need to, as a government, intervene for our on behalf of our renters and a hard working family residents, is to make sure that they have that representation to avoid court, to make sure that the landlords are made whole and they have stable housing.

One thing I also believe is important to do is, as mayor, focus on workforce development.

Let's make sure that as we see an increase in burdens of of rental rates or other purchases that have to have a certain cost of living for that, for our residents, that we are meeting them where they're at so they can see an increase in their incomes, access to jobs and incomes that can support those housing opportunities.

We're also responsible because of how we tax.

And one of the things I understand is a big opportunity for us to change how we tax real estate, to not be the reason why rental rates go up or mortgages go up as well.

We need to make sure we're supporting stable housing for all residents to avoid needing to face eviction.

Thank you.

All right, Dr. Avula, you are certainly best known for guiding Virginia through the COVID crisis.

Now, what would you say to a voter who says, well, that's a science guy?

He's not a numbers cruncher guy.

What skill set do you bring to the job that should make me trust you to manage a budget of $3 billion a year?

Yeah.

Well, first, I'll talk a little bit about the experience of managing through COVID.

So much of that experience was communicating clearly and transparently with the community, building trust by sharing information and ultimately making decisions based on listening to the community and following evidence.

And so there's a clear parallel to what the leader of the city needs to do to rebuild trust in city government, to be clear and transparent in our communication.

I'll also say I've been an organizational leader for 15 years.

I lead a local agency.

I merged two agencies and then I had the opportunity as Commissioner of Social Services to lead a $2.6 billion agency with 1800 employees.

I have the most executive experience of anybody at this table.

And the best parallel to what the city government, organization actually looks like.

Thank you.

All right.

Very good.

So this question goes to Mr. Roday and to Ms. Mosby As the founder of a nonprofit organization, each of you have done that, do you see a specific role for other nonprofits in the city, a role that you would be able to facilitate as mayor?

Ms. Mosby?

-Sure.

I believe that that's one of the things that that, pushes me as a a more experienced person for this job is working with other nonprofits.

So working with Help me Help you has it helps me have a clear understanding that we can not solve the issues by ourselves.

And so we have worked with service providers throughout the Richmond metropolitan area.

And so what we need in our city as we work to deal with our housing crisis, as we work to deal with, our education and all of the ills that we're dealing with is a mayor that understands that we need other service providers, other nonprofits.

And so, yes, it's bridging that gap.

It's helping us understand that we've been getting minimal impact because we're working in isolation.

We need someone that's going to bring us all together so that we can get the collective impact that we need to move our city forward.

All right, Mr. Neblett Oh - Mr. Roday.

Okay, Mr. Roday, you're next.

What are your thoughts about closing down?

He gets the same question.

Oh, its the same question.

I'm sorry.

Go ahead.

I started a nonprofit at the height of COVID that supports Black and women owned small businesses with access to loans.

And one of the reasons that nonprofits started is because sometimes our city government, our private sector and our nonprofits are not serving the community in the way we need them to.

I saw a disparity and solved a problem.

This is the type of attitude and leadership that we need from our next mayor.

It takes more than just the city's government, or just the private sector or just nonprofits to get things done.

We need all of those organizations working together in concert to solve the biggest problems we have to face here.

I know we can do it.

If we work together, we can reform City Hall service delivery.

We can invest in affordable housing.

We can work with partners inside and outside City Hall to get these things done and deliver for our folks.

All right, Mr. Neblett it's your turn now.

The question I have for you, what are your thoughts about closing down part of Cary Street and making that whole area the Carytown shopping district, into one big pedestrian mall?

Well, so, you know my thoughts, you know, automatically I think about the people.

The reason why I'm running for mayor is because the people has to become the forefront of every decision.

I want to communicate with the citizens in that district and ask them, is that a plan that works for our economic development?

Ask the businesses, does that help the plight for increasing their business flow or will it hinder it?

So with making a decision like that, I believe we need to have a collective decision and I believe the input of the citizens will be very important when making a decision like that.

Though, I am in business.

That is ideal.

I mean, I we love outdoor outside malls.

You see our Stony Point and and the Short Pump Town Center has, has progressed.

Unfortunately, Stony Point has decreased in value but, Short Pump has.

So Stony Point hasn't been as fluent, as it should as outside mall.

But if we mirror that, with the plight of, Short Pump Town Center and we may be able to make an increase in the economic development in that area.

-All right.

Time for a a lightning round.

For our lightning round now we're going to go in alphabetical order.

Ask the same question of each of the five of you.

And if you would just give us a very short but powerful answer.

So the first question is, name three of Richmond's greatest assets.

Well, Mr. Roday already listed there, but I would add our free transit is another great asset we have.

I also think our amazing culture scene with the arts and music and our museums would be a third one.

The river, our phenomenal higher education institutions VCU, Virginia Union, University of Richmond, and our community colleges, and the incredibly resilient and aspirational people who live in the city.

Yes.

The riverfront, the bus rapid transit that's now headed out to, Short Pump in Chesterfield, as well as, I'm going to say, our foodie that the restaurants that we have, we have some great restaurants in our city.

So I'll say, the great river that we have here in the city of Richmond, also the museums that we have, Virginia museum of Fine Arts, History and Culture, the Black History Museum, those are great assets.

also, we have a great college scene here, VCU, Virginia Union University, University of Richmond, and there's so much in Richmond that I love.

And only three.

It just sucks to answer that.

Thanks for doing the best.

Yeah.

Thank you, thank you.

after giving a list of five, I'll just add one more, which is the history of Richmond is so tied to the history of not just Virginia, but the United States, and that that's an incredible asset for our city.

All right.

This next lightning round question really only needs a yes or no answer.

Richmond Superintendent of Schools, Jason Kamras, in your opinion, is he deserving of having his contract renewed?

Mr. Addison, start with you.

Unfortunately, its not my job to define what his role is, that's up to the school board, but I will respect their decision.

I believe Richmond Public School has had great educational outcomes in this past year.

So yes.

-Again, it's it's not my decision to make the decision on whether Mr. Kamras should renew his contract.

if the school board says yes, then at yes.

If the school board says no, then I agree that it's a no.

-Mr. Neblett.

-I also believe that and want to cooperate with that with the school board.

You know that that's teachers.

The students.

I believe they're the ones that should make that that call.

-That this is a decision for our school board.

Well, there - uniformity of answers there.

Next lightning round question.

Name two people who have inspired you to take on leadership roles.

-I would say my, my late grandfather, he was one who actually rode the train with Joe Biden when he was a up and coming, senator from Delaware.

And then I would say, my, my stepdad, he's been an encouraging encouragement of my life.

And a big part of how I got where I am today.

-My dad, who served in the US Navy and committed his life to public service in the federal government, and a man named John Perkins, who was an activist and a civil rights leader committing his life to racial healing.

-My mom, who has overcome cancer who has taught herself how to read as an adult, who has worked in the school system and still currently works as an 82 year old person.

And then my daughter, who has, moved back home from Texas to help her mom with all things business, all things campaign.

-It would be a tough answer for that, you know, because the dynamics of how I lived in the city of Richmond, there's so many people that that helped shape me into who I am today.

And that's why I'm running for mayor.

You know, I want to make sure that I serve it back to the citizens in the city.

So what I say is, my grandmother, Teresita Neblett who was an evangelist and held the home church, and then also it would be my great grandfather who was a Native American and farmer in, Varina.

-Okay.

Thank you.

We have to move.

Mr. Roday.

-President Obama's campaign in 2008 was the first one that inspired me.

So that has to be one.

And Senator Kaine, first person, I worked for, has to be one as well.

-Okay.

All right.

This next lightning round question, this is one that we get a lot of complaints about on 12 On Your Side, roundabouts.

Utterly confusing and a huge pain in the neck or much preferable to a four way stop?

We'll start with you, Mr. Addison.

-Well, I think we have not deployed them properly, so they're confusing.

I think we need to improve education, public engagement around how to navigate them safely, and better signage.

-I think they can be helpful traffic calming measures, but in some cases, they actually lead to more bike and pedestrian accidents.

So we need to be really careful about their utilization.

-I think that we should do more and have more information sessions on, roundabouts, so that we can get what we're supposed to get out of them.

So I think that they're confusing to, to most.

-Yeah.

I believe we need to look at the volume and flow in that intersection.

Some may, you know, be better use for, roundabouts and some may not.

And four way stops may be better -When I'm on a bike, I prefer a four way stop.

I think roundabouts can work if they're done correctly.

-Okay, I think we have time for another lightning round question.

Short answers.

Who in your opinion has been the best Mayor Richmond has had so far?

-Governor Wilder.

-Tim Kaine.

-Mayor Jones.

-Governor Wilder.

-Senator Kaine.

-All right, Richmond's new baseball stadium.

Time and money well spent.

Yes or no?

-Yes.

-No.

-Ms. Mosby.

-Yes.

-No.

-The original deal, Yes.

The current deal... -Okay.

Time to move on to round two of, questions for the candidates.

The first question is for Dr. Avula.

As a long time resident of Churchill, you've seen a great deal of development, but you've also seen a lot of neighbors displaced by that development.

How do you propose to incentivize growth and renewal without gentrifying communities and creating more problems for long time, residents who cannot afford the newer developments?

-Yeah.

I mean, this is the main reason that I'm running for mayor is the experience of living in this community and having an incredible decade of rich relationships across race and class, and seeing that change when we haven't done what we've needed to do to protect long term residents.

I don't know that we need to do much more to incentivize Richmond is incredibly attractive, to businesses, to developers, to people who want to come here.

What we do need to do is court that development, make sure that we continue to ride that momentum, but also ensure that we put protections in place, for the people who want to live in the communities that they're a part of, we need to invest more in affordable housing.

And the Maggie Walker Land Trust and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

We need to exercise protections for long term residents and give them tax relief so that they're not pushed out because of rising tax assessments.

and we need to break the cycle of eviction that displaces people in communities.

-All right.

Next question is for Ms. Mosby.

In the past five months, the city auditor has identified 673 food establishments that owe nearly $11 million in back taxes and meals tax payments, including 283 of them who claim they never received a bill.

Now, several restaurant owners have told me personally that dealing with the city of Richmond is an absolute nightmare.

What will you do to open up better line of communications?

-Sure.

I have had an opportunity to meet with many of those restaurant owners and, again, it's upgrading our technology, so that we can be accountable to our restaurants.

but it's also assigning, someone so that we can have open door conversations about before we get to a place where, we're at these astronomical, amounts of bills.

And so is having someone in our office that is accountable to our businesses, our small businesses, so that we are keeping up with what's transpiring, where, where things are going left, and so that we can make sure that we are putting the right, initiatives, policies in place so that we all can that can be a win win on both sides.

-All right, Angie, let's remind these folks that you each have to wild card questions.

So if you're if you're waving your arm and going woo woo woo, I'd like to answer that one myself.

Feel free to jump in.

-I'd love to answer that questio as well.

I've talked to a lot of restaurateurs who have expressed frustration.

I think this is a good example of where, the, the trust in local government has eroded because of poor execution of local government.

You know, when I became commissioner of social Services, we faced a similar issue, where we were not turning around background investigations.

And it was impeding our ability to keep children across this Commonwealth safe.

And so I met with the team.

We looked at the process, streamline the process, made investments in technology, expanded staff capacity, and really cut out steps that didn't need to be there.

And in the course of six months, we went from an eight week turnaround on background investigations to under five days.

And that's the kind of hands on process improvement that the next leader of the city needs to bring to restore trust in city government, -Mr. Neblett.

-So, I worked on this on the front end for, for, businesses in the city of Richmond.

I was the one who investigated the meals tax issue for, a business, being that they were threatened jail time and then they would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars.

So, I, I saw where it fell on the city.

And it's a thing of accountability.

And that's what my platform has been about since day one.

But I want to make sure that we do is investigate our processes to improve it with technology that will make it a speedy for our businesses.

But while we investigate, we need to give opportunity for relief for our small businesses.

I see where the aftermath has been affecting the businesses and we need to uplift those businesses and not only say, hey, you have to pay this or you know the bill is going to continue to accrue.

I believe we need to freeze that for those companies that are having those issues until we come to a resolution, and I believe that we can come to a speedy resolution.

-Thank you.

-Can I have 30s to rebut that or Oh, well, he didn't specifically mention you.

So.

-Okay.

-Okay.

All right.

-Thank you.

-We do have a question, though, now for, Mr. Neblett and for Mr. Addison.

You endured some difficult times during your childhood.

In what ways might this position as mayor, allow you to better understand and relate to some of the city's young people?

-So thank you for for this question.

it's been hard.

It's been a challenge.

And they're still children going through the same thing that I went through, going to school hungry, leaving school hungry, you know, having to wait to go back to school and, and eat again.

Right.

It's hard to concentrate on an empty stomach.

I had, you know, dessert for dreams at a point in time.

I've seen shootings in areas as well.

so it's traumatic.

What I want to do is make sure we have safer streets.

I want to collaborate with, RPD to make sure that we have a stronger community policing with our community.

Our community members has a part in this.

We have to step up.

We have to get involved.

And I believe that what I went through as a child, is the plight of why I'm running today, because I've experienced firsthand.

And as a community organizer, I've helped the youth on a daily basis and after school programs and organizations.

like Brothers Concern for Gilpin, Arc angels, the Rock project, Inner City Basketball, and I see the light in these children, and I want to make sure that I give resources citywide in order for them to grow and be successful.

-Okay, Mr. Addison.

-You know, during my childhood, I was blessed with a strong fabric of a neighborhood that allowed me to have access to things that I might not have at home.

And when I moved to Richmond and I was focused on anti-poverty commission and really understanding what poverty looks like in Richmond, I understood that there's a difference between our communities across our city, and I think that is probably been the biggest passion of mine, is looking at why are there differences?

And we look back to our history as a city, and we see a lot of it's racially defined, formerly red line neighborhoods where Black and brown residents, have been, been pushed into back in the 60s, have now been the same places.

We're seeing some challenges happening, same issues we see with public housing.

We also see some crime issues as well.

We need to invest in those neighborhoods more importantly, we need to focus on the child and wraparound the services to make sure every child in every neighborhood has the same access to the basic amenities for afterschool programs.

Sports, Athletics, Arts, culture, music, the same things.

I help develop them holistically and safe and accessible places.

That starts with sidewalks, streetlights, making sure everyone has a field and access and a library.

These are the things I grew up with, and I want to make sure every child in our city has the same access points across our entire city.

-All right, Mr. Roday you are next.

Richmond has one of the highest overdose rates in the in the state.

And what can the city do better to educate its citizens about the dangers of drugs?

And how do we expand the resources to help some of those people recover?

-I feel so fortunate to before prior to this campaign and during the campaign, to be in all corners of our city.

And I've heard from so many residents who share that concern, people who see folks who aren't getting the help they need.

I think this starts by working more with our youth, partnering with Richmond Public Schools and other organizations to ensure that our kids are getting the information they need and understanding the dangers.

I think we also have to strengthen our nonprofits with, excuse me, strengthen our partnerships with nonprofits that provide these types of core services.

The city can do a lot if we partner in the right way and allocate our budget dollars correctly.

Well.

-Okay.

go ahead, go ahead.

Your wild card.

-As a community organizer, I work with, organizations in recovery like Supreme Program and Transition and Community.

I believe that as mayor, I need to make sure that we have a fit our task force.

That way we crack down on fitting those distribution.

and we can aid in mental health services and recovery for fentanyl and, uses, Of course, no one's directly saying that they want to utilize federal fentanyl, but unfortunately, we have these dealers that are, cutting this product into, into these drugs.

So, I want to make sure that we support that help, you know, there's there's organizations in our community, there's boots on the ground.

I want to be able to give them a stipend program and cut the red tape in the procurement process.

We have a business resource center that will help them become more comparable for the procurement opportunity, for funding and resources.

that's the key, I believe, is the people that's doing the work.

-Okay.

-Thank you.

-We want to give Miss Mosby an opportunity.

You had asked for a rebuttal on the question about city services, and you couldn't do a rebuttal.

But would you like to use your wild card to expand on your previous answer?

-I think we were talking about the restaurant.

Yes?

-Yes.

-I just wanted to simply say that during that time, the restaurant owners were trying to get to the city of Richmond, and so I was able to get them to our CEO to so that the conversation could be heard, so we could get them on a trajectory of, of getting them made whole.

And if we look at, where trust, where people are looking for trust and where they think that accountability is going to be an actual.

Those restaurants have endorsed the campaign for Michelle Mosby, which means they believed that Michelle Mosby will become mayor and work to help those restaurants become whole.

That's what I wanted to say.

-Okay.

Thank you.

Okay.

-Mr. Addison, a question for you.

I have seen one of the previous mayoral forums.

I believe it was the one at Scott's Edition.

It was online.

And you, as a group of five, answered a lot of questions in common.

All five of you are Democrats.

You seem to agree on many of the core issues.

What's going to set you apart from these other four people on the podium tonight?

-Well, it's a great question and something I feel is represented in my 16 years of public service.

You know, being an employee, working through the ranks of city Hall, I've worked with three different mayors, and I've also worked with, seven different CEOs.

In my experience, I've seen good leadership, I've seen good transitions.

I've also seen poor ones.

And so that experience has shaped me to understand what exactly is before the city moving forward.

My time on city council, I think we've seen probably one of the most progressive and organized and strategically focused city councils we've ever had in history.

And I mean that because we've focused on not focusing on conflict, but focusing on investing in our city and more importantly, making progress on our biggest priorities.

I'm proudest of saying that we've invested $88 million in our public schools, helped improve building four new schools, increased average teacher pay by $15,000.

When I was elected.

It was good use to try to find funding for schools.

And we've over overwhelmingly met that expectation.

That's the kind of leadership this job needs.

The the job of mayor is to set the vision for the city and to know how to navigate with city council, how to create policy and approve a budget with nine other people and nine other priorities to make sure we invest in every single thing we need to do.

I bring that as mayor.

-Wild card.

-Yes.

I'd love to answer that question, please.

There's one thing that's been pretty confusing to me since the start of this campaign, and that is I think we have some different definitions here of what reproductive health care means.

When I talk about reproductive health care, I mean access to abortion as health care.

And I'm just a little confused because when Dr. Avula talks about it, I think he might mean something different.

And I think his record shows that.

And I'd like to share my question and sort of concern.

he mentioned working for the Department of Social Services.

That was under Governor Youngkin, who campaigned for an abortion ban.

And when he led the department, he issued a pregnancy health card that directed women to, places that explicitly don't talk about abortion and in fact, scare people into thinking abortion is not a choice at all.

I will stand up to Governor Youngkin and his abortion bans.

I don't think Dr. Avulas record shows that he will.

And I think that's an important difference between the candidates.

-Would you like a rebuttal?

-Absolutely.

Let me be clear.

I absolutely support a woman's right to choose.

I absolutely support, the need for people to make their own health care decisions.

I'm a physician.

I support, health care providers being able to make decisions without the government intervening.

And I am the only candidate on this table - it's easy to talk about supporting these things - but I'm the only candidate at this table that actually spent a decade of drawing in new resources locally and federally, to expand access to reproductive health care in the lowest income, most vulnerable communities in our city.

-All right.

-I want to use my wild card.

-Go ahead.

Please.

-I believe that Richmond needs a mayor that is experienced, has been president of Richmond City Council, has been able to really make the shifts with affordable housing.

Bringing experience to policy.

When I was on city council, we, made sure that the initiative of Affordable Housing Trust Fund was an actuality in the four years that I was there, we made sure that the Maggie Walker Land Trust to ensure that housing, the needs of housing were met in the four years we built new schools in the four years.

And when we're talking about women's reproductive, it just simply amazes me.

I am the only candidate that will fight for women's health, women's right to choose, because I am a woman who has needed to attend a Planned Parenthood because, health insurance was not an option.

And so I think we need a mayor that has had the experiences and has been a proven leader in being able to get things done.

Not in eight years, not in 15 years.

Not as the doctor, but as the patient and as the president of Council.

Thank you.

-Okay.

question for Mr. Roday.

Are you in favor of reducing property taxes, including real estate taxes in the city?

And if so, how can that be accomplished without decreasing essential revenue?

-I was just in Church Hill the other day, knocking on doors, speaking with, one of one of our neighbors who feels like her neighborhood is not the place she grew up, and she has concerns about whether or not she's going to be able to afford to stay there.

there are absolutely things we can do on a targeted basis to support people who need help.

I don't think a citywide real estate tax cut is prudent at this time.

first of all, it would largely be a tax cut that benefits our wealthiest homeowners.

And second, it would jeopardize funding for critical city services like public education and funding that we should be putting in projects like access to additional affordable housing.

So there are absolutely things we can do on a targeted basis to support residents who need help.

But I do not support a citywide real estate tax cut.

For now.

-Mr. Addison, -Thank you.

One of the things about real estate taxes that I believe is a needed conversation to elevate is that real estate taxes actually account for almost 72,000 different parcels across the city, of which 60,000 of them are what we live in single family zoned housing, and also some of our multifamily.

The challenge we have is when you look at a real estate tax rate and tax cut, we need to make sure we understand how do we create a dollar as a city?

One of the biggest things I bring as a candidate, as a revenue strategy for the city, looking at our real estate taxes to make sure we can think about reforming how we tax properties.

More importantly, putting in the driver's seat our Richmond 300 master plan to build a vibrant, thriving, beautiful new city.

I believe that we need to understand how we're taxing our residents by staying in their homes and their neighbors, selling their house, which needs to end, and more and more importantly, focusing on understanding how we create new value.

We've got thousands of vacant parcels all across the city, whether it's single family or commercial zone that need to be activated.

As mayor, we need to focus on driving the change and investment to activate housing, jobs and first floor retail to transform our city.

And I will commit to doing that.

Day one.

-All right, Mr. Neblett, next question for you.

As somebody who grew up and public housing projects in Richmond, do you feel the concept of public housing the way it operates today is an outdated concept?

Is there a better way?

-There is a better way.

from what I've seen, in the community, even living there, individuals wanting to work in a work, a job and then they're told you have to pay $1300 or $900 to live in an environment where there's trauma, you have gun fire, you know, you have drug sales, and you have an unhealthy environment with litter, and pollution.

So is not operable, you know, to have individuals pay what I would do as mayor.

And now we're encouraged, and we want to work with RJ and to make an extra escrow, line where if someone does work a job, it goes there so we can have affordable home ownership.

And that way we can increase the real estate revenue by creating more real estate tax.

so I believe that we can foster that with programs like resume building and job opportunities with the, Richmond Technical Center, we can make that more expand, with, having trades, tradesmen and, trades women, and certifications that can allow them to obtain employment as well.

-Thank you.

-All right.

Thank you.

The next question for Ms. Mosby, since the pandemic, the value of single family homes in our surrounding counties, specifically Henrico and Chesterfield, have skyrocketed.

And while Richmond property values have increased somewhat, they have not increased at the rate of the suburbs.

What can you do as mayor to convince people that it's a good investment to purchase a home in Richmond?

-Sure.

I do this on the daily.

I'm a real estate agent, been selling real estate throughout the Richmond metropolitan area for 18 plus years.

again, Richmond is a vibrant city.

We're on the grow.

We have a downtown that we are in the process of as a togetherness to build it out.

our center city, the Diamond District is happening.

And so we want, at my suggestion, my way of bringing, new residents to the city of Richmond is to talk about the greatness that we have, the beauty city, the and, and begin to help build our education so that as they come into the city of Richmond, because it's not that they don't move here, it's keeping them here after they're young people get into the middle, middle school.

And so it's it's really building our education out so that our families will want to stay here once they get here in the city of Richmond and working to ensure that we're building, technology so that our city systems will be working for our new residents as they come into our city.

-Okay.

-Can I please have my wildcard?

-Yes, you may be okay.

Go right ahead.

-I wanted to answer the question around public housing.

I just wasn't sure if you guys are going to move to something else or not.

But, you know, I've spent a lot of my career working in public housing.

The original intent of public housing was really to be a transitional period where people could get stabilized and then help move them to more permanent housing.

the part that we've missed in that is investing in the services and supports that residents need to actually, get an education to be able to, upskill and, and make, a meaningful wage that would actually allow them to move out of public housing.

So when we think about equity and what that means, we need to invest more in the programs and supports for residents of public housing so that they can find pathways out of poverty.

That's the work that I did as commissioner of Social Services.

And the reason that despite some philosophical and political differences with the Youngkin administration, I agreed to take that role, because I had the opportunity to steward an agency with a $2.6 billion budget, helping people find pathways out of poverty.

-All right.

Very good.

Question for you again, Dr. Avula.

All of the candidates have spoken in some way about wanting to audit city services, improve customer service.

Can you be specific about how you would a attract and incentivize current employees who already excel, and how you begin to implement a more customer focused culture?

Specifics.

-Yeah, I you know, Richmond is such a great city, and I think we absolutely deserve a local government that is committed to centering the customer, centering the citizens of Richmond that the local government exists to serve.

I've been clear about, my commitment to a national search for a CEO, but also to looking at the at will positions, the directors and deputy directors and really doing skip level interviews and making sure I understand both the outcomes that they have led in their respective departments, but also the kind of culture that they've created in their respective departments.

You know, I've been an executive leader for 15 years and local and state agencies, and this is the work that I've done of running national searches, of hiring senior executives, of building great teams and transfer culture.

And that's what I'm going to do for the city of Richmond.

-Oh.

-Go ahead, Mr. Addison.

-As the only candidate here who's actually been a employee of city government and seen it within the trenches, what it takes to actually create organizational change.

One of the things I want to highlight is that back in 2012, during an employee survey, the employees of City Hall referenced that they did not have the training.

They needed the systems to operate, to do their job or the information to get their job done the right time the first time.

And if you think back to the two months ago, the finance employees that were fired said the exact same three issues.

This is about it really understanding the challenges facing our frontline employees.

I want to start day one by working with them firsthand, rolling up my sleeves, showing up day one to understand what can we do to make your job better?

What is the training you need?

What are the systems we need to invest in?

And more importantly, what is the information you don't have that you would like to have to make your job better?

I believe by empowering our employees to make their jobs easier and more importantly, to give better services to our residents is the utmost opportunity.

We have to transform City Hall because the more they believe in their job, the better they're going be able to meet the needs of our residents and our businesses.

As mayor, I believe that that experience will shape how I work and show up every day, but also making sure that I own the outcome because I think that's the most important.

Showing up not for the photo, but for the opportunity to invest in our employees.

-It appears, Mr. Roday you're the only one who has a wild card left.

So before we move to the second lightning Round, we want to offer you an opportunity to answer this question about audit and customer service, which is something I know you've spoken about previously.

-Yeah, I'd be happy to.

And you asked for specific examples.

You know, these are really difficult change management projects.

This requires partnering with people who work on the front line of our city's workforce to get things done.

I've done that with organizations that are large and small in different parts of of organizations like the finance department specifically.

I've worked on turnaround projects.

I understand what it takes to do difficult IT implementations.

These are challenging, but we can do it.

You know, audits are a multi-year process when done correctly for performance and for forensic financial accounting.

This will take some time, but I know if we work together, we can get the job done.

The way I was trained was when you show up on a manufacturing plant floor and you're providing direction, you move your desk to the center of the plant floor because that's the type of leadership that's partnering with people to get things done.

And that's the type of mentality that I will bring to City Hall.

-Thank you.

-All right.

We have to get to a lightning round now.

So if you could run a six minute mile, you can get from Willow Lawn to - We're going to cancel Lightning Round?

-Ah, oh no lightning round.

So s -I'm sorry I was going I had a GRTC question I wanted to ask, but, we need to get to the closing statements.

-We do.

So, if we would, please follow the same order as the opening statements.

So we begin with Mr. Neblett.

-You have five candidates here, and you have four politicians.

If you want change your vote for it.

You vote for it because nobody is going to ensure that you have a seat at the table, that you have a voice in our day to day operations and our community gatherings.

The thing is, we have four college graduates here, and we have one of which I am.

We have one that is a community organizer.

It has boots on the ground.

I help veterans and families in crisis.

I'm on the board of directors of a federal credit union.

I'm also someone who is committed to the people.

And I ask you for your vote.

Ask you to step forward and not feel uncomfortable.

For some of you that do not vote, it's time to step up.

This is a crucial time, and some people have to retire their jersey because we need a new way forward.

Thank you.

-All right.

Then, the next person for the closing statement would be Mr. Roday.

-I would love for you to support me and join the broad coalition we are building.

I am so proud to have the endorsements of so many organizations, including the Richmond Education Association, which represents 1200 of our teachers and school staff.

The Richmond Crusade for voters, which has a long history of fighting for what's right in our community.

New Virginia Majority, which consistently fights for economic equity, a level playing field, and social justice.

These organizations have endorsed our campaign because they know that I will honor collective bargaining agreements, I will invest in affordable housing.

I will support our public school system, and that I'm committed to building a city that works for everyone.

Your next mayor needs to be someone who has the right combination of our shared democratic values and the experience to get the job on day one as mayor.

That's exactly what I'll do.

Please join me.

Thank you.

-Thank you.

And now, Mr. Addison, -You know, I am a 16 year veteran of public service in this city.

And during my time, I've worked with three different mayors.

I've worked with several different, CEOs.

And more importantly, I've worked on city council to understand the process it takes to create good policy and create good budgets.

It is complicated making decisions with eight other priorities, eight other neighborhoods, eight of those eight other things they want to see invested in in the last eight budgets.

But together we've been able to invest in our schools, paving our streets, fixing transit and investing in housing.

That kind of leadership and experience is what we need to see in our next mayor.

We need to have a mayor who understands what it takes to lead city council and work with our means, in which we ask for resources from the General Assembly and other partners in the community.

I'm the only candidate who has national, state, regional and local leadership experience shaping policies, shaping budgets, shaping investment in our communities for my time on City Council, I've shaped and shown you what I focus on for the broad aspects of progress for our city.

And as mayor, I will carry that into the leadership we bring to work together, go to undress addison.com for more information on the policies, my priorities and my experience and I hope to earn your vote.

-All right, Ms. Mosby, your closing statement, please.

-Richmond.

It is the time is now for us to choose someone who is a proven leader.

I've served for years as a public servant on city council.

And in those four years I have worked for the entire city.

We've, made me progress in the seventh district with, the market at 20ft, dealing with food deserts.

We've built new schools.

We've invested in the riverfront.

We, made budget surpluses each year.

We, shifted where our Port authority so that our port is making revenue for our city.

We need someone that is going to go back to the basics that can really get the technology done.

That has been endorsed by people of Richmond, that has been endorsed by former mayors, that has been endorsed by many of the people that we have discussed here tonight.

And so I'm asking us to make the choice, make the choice to run this journey with me, and let's change our city together.

Together.

It's what it's going to take if we want to see Richmond, shift in such a way that every person is involved, then I'm asking you to choose Michelle Mosby for mayor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Dr. Avula.

-You all are about to hire the CEO of a $2.8 billion, 3500 employee organization that exists to serve the needs of the city.

And we know what those needs are.

If we're going to solve the affordable housing crisis, we need great regional collaboration.

I've done that.

As public health director, I merged the Richmond Henrico health departments in 2018, and I led the regional Covid response in 2020.

If we're going to improve educational outcomes, we need deep partnership with the state.

I've done that as commissioner of Social Services, I worked through three budget cycles and had $200 million of new investment to increase access to services for low income individuals.

If we're going to expand health care access, I've done that.

As public health director.

I spent a decade of my career opening clinics in the lowest income communities in the city to expand access to reproductive health services.

All of this requires an effective and an accountable local government.

And for the last 15 years, that's the work that I've done.

I've built teams.

I've changed culture.

I've improved service delivery.

You deserve a mayor who's done that.

And I'd be honored to have your vote.

-All right, Dr. Avula, thank you so much.

What a respectful group of candidates.

We've covered a lot of ground tonight.

I want to thank you for your participation and thank those at home who spent this hour watching.

-Absolutely.

So I also say thank you.

And best of luck to each of you in the days ahead.

We appreciate that you all have watched, and we hope that you've gained a lot of insight by joining us.

We say good night.

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