Nov. 6 Newsletter: The doc is in
Weather: Still warm, high of 82
On this date in 1939, eight federal prisoners escaped from a Henrico County jail. Seven of the eight had escaped from the prison earlier in the year as well. They were all later recaptured.
Today's newsletter sponsored by: Virginia Commonwealth University. As a top 20% global university, Virginia Commonwealth University is an unparalleled powerhouse of innovation and creative problem solving. VCU attacks challenges as opportunities to do what others can’t or won’t. It's truly a university unlike any you’ve ever seen.
Dr. Danny Avula claims six of nine districts in mayoral race
Former public health official Danny Avula will likely be the next mayor of Richmond, as unofficial election results indicated he won a large enough victory Tuesday to avoid a runoff election against runner-up Michelle Mosby.
- Avula has significant leads in 6 of the 9 districts, while Michelle Mosby claimed the other three.
Avula ran as an effective government administrator whose experience handling large organizations and initiatives at the state level could be brought to bear on city issues.
Read more about the race here.
City Council races of note
In the 1st District, the seat vacated by Andreas Addison will go to "Gumby" Breton, who held off Paul Goldman and Zac Taylor.
Kate Seltzer
Kenya Gibson secured a victory in the 3rd District, where she'll unseat incumbent Ann-Frances Lambert.
In the 6th District, Tavares Floyd finished a distant third, with 14% of the vote as of press time, after a series of controversies engulfed his campaign.
Incumbents Ellen Robertson (6th), Cynthia Newbille (7th) and Reva Trammell (8th) all held on to their seats, while Nicole Jones staved off challenger Stephanie Starling in the 9th.
School board races of note
The 2nd District saw a change, as Mariah White lost the seat to challenger Katie Ricard.
Kate Seltzer
In the 3rd District, Ali Faruk won handily over two challengers.
The 4th District race went to Wesley Hedgepeth, who had a 7 percentage point lead over incumbent Garrett Sawyer with only a handful of votes remaining to be counted.
The 5th District was a close call, but it appears Stephanie Rizzi narrowly held her seat against challenger Mamie Taylor.
In the 8th District, E.J. "Emmett Jay" Jafari had a 5-point lead over P.H. "Cruz" Sherman thanks to a robust early voting turnout.
Petersburg approves casino
After being rejected twice by Richmond residents, Petersburg became the fifth Virginia locality to approve a casino on Tuesday night. With all in-person votes counted, the casino had 81.53% approval.
Melanie Martinez
Other updates
Today's sponsor:
VCU College of Engineering adding six minors in cutting-edge disciplines
Programs in artificial intelligence, aerospace engineering, nuclear engineering, software engineering, cybersecurity and data science emphasize a transdisciplinary approach to engineering and prepare students for high-demand fields.
“The College of Engineering at VCU is undergoing transformational changes to offer unique and exciting experiences to our students,” said Azim Eskandarian, DSc, Alice T. and William H. Goodwin Jr. dean of the college. “Among these critical changes are six new minor programs, enhancing the student experience and serving the regional and national engineering industry with a much-needed, expertly trained workforce.” Read more.
The editor's desk
Our Richmonder team gathered for pizza before fanning out across the city to cover last night's election results. (Zombie Pizza was the pick)
While the election is over, our work isn't. We'll keep an eye on City Hall and the Avula administration during the transition of power, and tell the stories that help connect the community.
Thanks to the Institute for Nonprofit News, we're able to double all contributions made between now and the end of the year. There's never been a better time to become a member or make a one-time donation.
Michael Phillips, founding editor
mphillips@richmonder.org
