A pilot, a school trustee, a mom-of-two and a retired property manager make up Richmond’s newest political slate — and they’re pledging to immerse the public in big city hall decisions.
The Renew Richmond Association (RRA) launched Thursday, with current school trustee Grace Tsang the most recognizable face among the three running for city council in November municipal election.
Her two RRA colleagues vying for a seat on council are Peter Mitchell — a former property manager and longtime volunteer who ran in the 2011 election — and newcomer freight pilot Adil Awan, whose family runs an auto repair business in Richmond.
Rounding out the new party’s quartet and running for a seat on the school board is political rookie Alice S. Wong, a mom of two teens who has spent many years volunteering on various parent associations.
The foursome’s primary goal is to engage with the community “more than the current council” members, many of whom RRA say sit on council with a sense of entitlement, rather than privilege.
“There are too many cases of people finding out about city projects, just a few yards from their homes, when it’s way too late to get involved,” said Mitchell, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2011 municipal election, garnering around 6,500 votes, about 6,000 shy of being elected.
“We need to bring the citizens back to the beginning of the process, not at the end, when the decisions are pretty much made.”
Awan said he felt it was time to step into the political fray because many on the current council have overstayed their welcome.
“The current council has lost touch with the citizens and only deal with a very select group of people.
“We’re going to bring fresh ideas and I believe the citizens want new voices and want to see change.”
In a further dig at particular incumbents, Awan accused one member on council of turning up at local events with his own personal photographer and leaving after 10 minutes.
“People are tired of it, and there are others who flip-flop on decisions all the time and some who only show up at a few meetings,” added Awan.
Awan said he was originally going to run as an independent, but when the group realized they all had similar values and concerns, they decided to join forces.
Tsang said she was motivated by the extra challenge of running for city council — she’s enjoyed three terms as a school trustee — because of the “lack of information sharing” from the current regime.
“There needs to be more communication between city hall and the school district and, with my experience as a trustee, I feel I can help with that,” added Tsang, formerly of Richmond First
A former PAC chair at her children’s elementary and secondary schools, as well as vice-president of the Richmond District Parents Association, Wong claims she’ll use her many years of volunteering to improve student achievement, if elected as a trustee.
“We need to get more funding for extracurricular programs and help students get more choices,” she added.
