Newbille chosen as Richmond City Council president; three new members take seats

Longtime Richmond City Councilor Cynthia Newbille will lead the city’s legislative body into 2025 after her peers unanimously elected her as council president Thursday.

Newbille, who has represented the East End’s 7th District since 2009, previously served as council president from 2019 through 2022.

In Richmond’s system of government, the council president doesn’t have much more power than regular members and is mostly responsible for running council meetings and being ready to stand in as acting mayor if the mayor’s office becomes vacant.

Though she backed former council member Michelle Mosby for mayor, Newbille could play an important role in the next two years as a conduit between the council and newly elected Mayor Danny Avula, who will need council support to enact his policy agenda.

“I’m deeply committed to working collectively and collaboratively with each of you as well as the new mayor and the new administration to achieve our shared vision,” Newbille said in a brief speech. “Together we will navigate the transitions and the challenges, while charting a course for great progress.”

Councilor Katherine Jordan (2nd District), who backed Avula for mayor, was chosen to serve as the council’s vice president, meaning she will preside over meetings in Newbille’s absence. Jordan participated in Thursday’s meeting remotely from Mexico, where she was still traveling with family.

Avula, a pediatrician and former public health official who led Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination effort during the pandemic, was quietly sworn into office on New Year’s Eve in a private ceremony at his home. His public inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 11.

There was little indication Thursday that Newbille’s support for Mosby would be a sore spot in the relationship between the two city leaders. Avula was in the council chambers for Thursday’s meeting and spoke with Newbille afterward.

“I’m very excited to work with Dr. Newbille,” Avula, a longtime Church Hill resident, said when asked for his reaction to the council’s pick. “She and I have a long relationship. I’m one of her constituents and have been for twenty years. Even beyond that, she’s been such an advocate for health and well-being. Our work has overlapped for over a decade. So I couldn’t be more excited.”

As the council picked a familiar face to serve as president, three newcomers officially joined the  body at Thursday’s meeting as the council organized itself and all nine members took the oath of office.

Former Richmond School Board member and activist Kenya Gibson was sworn into the 3rd District seat representing the North Side after she defeated former Councilor Ann-Frances Lambert.

Andrew “Gumby” Breton, a data architect who previously chaired the Richmond City Democratic Committee, now represents the West End’s 1st District after defeating Paul Goldman and Zac Walker in a three-way contest.

Communications professional Sarah Abubaker formally assumed her new role representing South Richmond’s 4th District. She replaces former Council President Kristen Nye, who did not seek re-election last year.