With more than a year to go until the election, the Richmond mayoral race already promises a tense and tight competition. Buoyed by a premature endorsement from the Richmond Progressive Alliance, Councilmember Eduardo Martinez has already set up a campaign finance committee, public records show. In a race that will determine his political survival, Martinez braces for a potential challenge from Vice Mayor Demnlus Johnson III, who told Richmond Confidential he is considering a run. Councilmember Nat Bates, who is…
Less than two years after being named Richmond city manager, Laura Snideman will leave the position with more than $300,000 in severance and other payments, according to a separation agreement that Mayor Tom Butt shared publicly on Tuesday night. The City Council approved Snideman’s termination during a closed session earlier this month. Snideman’s last day as city manager is Dec. 1. A caveat of the agreement is that she has seven days from the time it was signed to withdraw…
There was a time when most Richmond voters would have been disappointed by Mayor Tom Butt’s decision to make this term his last in public office. That was before they elected a slate of progressives whose majority on the City Council drowns out many of Butt’s opinions and initiatives. “To a lot of us, Mayor Butt represents politics as usual: Connected to the big businesses, protecting big developers, and against progressive taxation and social policy,” said resident Benjamin Mertz. “Richmond…
Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, who has spent more than a quarter century in public office, said Thursday that he won’t run for office again after his term ends in January 2023. “No, no, I’m done,” he told Richmond Confidential, when asked about his political future. “I have no plans to run for anything anymore when my term as mayor ends.” “I have been doing this 26 years. It will be 27 by that time,” he added. “It’s a long time.” The…