Nick Richardson

Nick Richardson is a member of the Fresno City Council in California, representing District 6. He assumed office on January 7, 2025. His current term ends on January 2, 2029.

Richardson ran for election to the Fresno City Council to represent District 6 in California. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Richardson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Nick Richardson was born in Clovis, California. As of his 2024 campaign, Richardson had served in the U.S. Marine Corps since 2013. He earned a bachelor's degree from the Virginia Military Institute in 2013. His career experience includes working as a consultant.^[1]

Richardson has been affiliated with the following organizations:^[1]

Mensa International
BPO Elks
NRA
Marine Corps League
E Clampus Vitus

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Fresno City Council District 6

Nick Richardson defeated Roger Bonakdar in the general election for Fresno City Council District 6 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nick Richardson (Nonpartisan)	51.5	16,575
	Submit photo	Roger Bonakdar (Nonpartisan)	48.5	15,585

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,160
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Fresno City Council District 6

Roger Bonakdar and Nick Richardson defeated Molly Fagundes-Johnston and Raj Sodhi-Layne in the primary for Fresno City Council District 6 on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Roger Bonakdar (Nonpartisan)	37.2	6,579
✔		Nick Richardson (Nonpartisan)	26.7	4,730
	Submit photo	Molly Fagundes-Johnston (Nonpartisan)	22.8	4,040
	Submit photo	Raj Sodhi-Layne (Nonpartisan)	13.3	2,350

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,699
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Richardson in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Nick Richardson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Richardson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I’m a conservative Marine Reservist who was born and raised here in Fresno. The 20,000 veterans in Fresno deserve a voice, and I’m here to bring that voice to City Hall. My extensive experience with the mental health community and with safety consulting make me uniquely qualified to tackle the roots of our homeless crisis. I’m already working on bettering the retention rates of our first responders. I’m already developing projects with other district leaders to truly be One Fresno. I’m here to work, and I’d be honored if my neighbors here in District 6 would allow me to work for them.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We will lose the only veteran voice we have in City Hall if I don’t win.
Housing affordability affects to homelessness. I’m coming in with 3 steps to make housing more available and affordable.
Properly trained, staffed, and equipped first responders make people feel safe. I’m here to increase our police and firefighters’ incentives to stay in Fresno, and to start caring for the whole person.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Crime, homelessness, safety, administrative corruption, mental health, veterans.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

It’s the municipal legislative heartbeat of the 5th biggest city in California.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Jim Mattis, Albert Camus, my grandfathers, President Eisenhower, and Kofi Annan.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Constructive self-doubt, their ability to appoint a staff, and enough concern to do their homework.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I’m honest to a fault, I’m very enthusiastic, and I have a masochistic love for hard work (particularly when no one else wants to do it).

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The only responsibility of this office is improving quality of life for Fresnans. Everything else is secondary.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to get people off the streets and into homes. I want to restore faith in the Republican party. I’d like to get more young people involved in municipal government. Finally, I want to be able to look my kids in the eye and say “I made this city at least 1% better for you”

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was probably 7 or 8, and I remember riding in the car in Hamburg, Germany trying to ask my dad why the US military was intervening in Kosovo. Then obviously 9/11 changed my future visions forever.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked on a construction site after my freshman year in high school. Use to ride my bike to practice twice a day, to work from 9-4, then pedal my way home for minimum wage. Built some character that year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Right now it’s “Breathe” by Rickson Gracie. It puts life struggles in context, and goes through one man’s discovery that nothing can be mastered unless you first master yourself.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Probably Mario, so I could just hang out with my brother and ride my pet dinosaur all day. Pretty nice lifestyle.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Being away from family for extended periods of time.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Invisibility, apparently.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Experience working long hours outside, personal knowledge of every neighborhood in their district, and the ability to get elected without millionaire handlers propping you up.

Tell us your favorite joke.

The Lord said to Abraham “Come forth and you shall have everlasting life,” but Abraham came fifth, so he won a toaster instead.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Hundreds and hundreds of them. We’ll see exactly how many when the vote is tallied.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Absolutely crucial. Failing these is the fastest way to lose public trust. Losing public trust is the fastest way to lose authority. Losing authority makes the government useless entirely.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

External links

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Candidate

Fresno City Council District 6

Officeholder

Fresno City Council District 6

Personal

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 4, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by Garry Bredefeld	Fresno City Council District 6 2025-Present	Succeeded by -

[bio-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 4, 2024

[1]

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Nick Richardson

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Fresno City Council District 6

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Fresno City Council District 6

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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