Thad Williamson

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Thad Williamson

Independent

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2019

Personal

Birthplace

Cambridge, Mass.

Religion

Christian: Episcopalian

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Personal LinkedIn

Thad Williamson (independent) ran in a special election to the Richmond City Council to represent Central 5th Voter District in Virginia. Williamson lost in the special general election on November 5, 2019.

Williamson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2019

See also: City elections in Richmond, Virginia (2019)

General election

Special general election for Richmond City Council 5th Voter District

The following candidates ran in the special general election for Richmond City Council 5th Voter District on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Stephanie Lynch (Independent)	27.4	2,004
		Thad Williamson (Independent)	16.0	1,172
		Mamie Taylor (Independent)	14.9	1,085
	Submit photo	Nicholas Da Silva (Independent)	13.9	1,016
	Submit photo	Chuck Richardson (Independent)	12.4	905
	Submit photo	Jer'Mykeal McCoy (Independent)	10.8	792
	Submit photo	Robin Mines (Independent)	3.1	225
		Graham Sturm (Independent)	1.0	76
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	30

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,305
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

For a complete list of Williamson's endorsements, please click here.

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Thad Williamson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Williamson'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 grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and then attended Brown University, majoring in history and religious studies. After working for a progressive think tank in Washington for four years, I earned my master's degree in religion from Union Theological Seminary (New York) and my doctorate in political science from Harvard University.

Currently, am an Associate Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond where I have taught since 2005. My work as a political scientist focuses on urban politics and policy; I have written extensively (including two major books) about community economic development and social justice in urban contexts. Altogether I have authored, co-authored or co-edited six books and hundreds of articles on a wide range of topics.

I also have extensive practical experience in local government, having served as the first director of the City of Richmond's Office of Community Wealth Building, launched in 2014 to spearhead the City's fight against poverty. As director from 2014 to 2016 I helped launch education programs such as RVA Reads and RVA Future and secured expanded funding for the city's workforce development efforts, established the agency's direction, hired key staff, and worked collaboratively with numerous agencies and community partners. From January 2017 to June 2018 I served part-time in the mayor's office as a senior policy advisor; in that role I led development of the RVA Education Compact as well as the development of a performance management strategy for the organization encompassing all agencies.

I have lived in Byrd Park in the 5th District the past 12 years with my wife and daughter (a 7th grader at Albert Hill Middle School). My community engagement activities include serving as a youth basketball coach for Richmond Parks & Recreation, previously serving as a volunteer and coach for the Richmond Street Soccer program, and supporting my daughter's school activities.

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?

• Improve education
• Expand economic opportunity
• Improve effectiveness of city government

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am a national expert on urban issues, most notably authoring the books "Making a Place for Community: Local Democracy in a Global Era" and "Sprawl, Justice and Citizenship: The Civic Costs of the American Way of Life." My work on the distribution of wealth and democracy and strategies to broaden the distribution of wealth has received international attention; this past January I was keynote speaker at an international conference on urban justice held at the University of York, UK.

Here in Richmond I am passionate about fighting poverty and building community wealth, having written the Mayor's Anti-Poverty Commission Report and then served as the first Director of the Office of Community Wealth Building.

I also have thought deeply and written extensively about public education in urban settings, particularly Richmond.

Finally, because of my experience in city government I have become very interested in issues of performance management and effective governance.

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

Richmond City Council approves the city budget--about $800 million--annually; it considers legislation on a wide variety of issues; and it holds the city administration accountable for performance and use of taxpayer dollars. These are unique powers, and I believe their use should be shaped by a clear vision of where the City of Richmond needs to go over the coming decade. My vision for Richmond is a city with much less poverty and greater economic empowerment; much stronger school achievement; and a more effective city government.

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

Growing up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, I was greatly influenced by the example of long time UNC men's basketball coach Dean E. Smith. He competed hard and smart, but prioritized his responsibility as an educator to use the game of basketball to help shape his players' lives in a positive direction. He showed incredibly loyalty and care for his players, and received incredible loyalty in return.

I wrote extensively about the impact of the UNC basketball program on my life in the 2001 book "More Than a Game: Why North Carolina Basketball Means So Much to So Many."

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

1. Being responsive to citizen concerns, issues, and questions; helping residents understand what city government is doing.

2. Making good policy through the budget process and other legislation
3. Holding the city administration accountable for its actions and inactions.

4. Being present and accessible in the community

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to help the City of Richmond achieve major progress on its challenges over the next decade: specifically, cutting child poverty in half by 2030 and helping our schools achievement level rise to a par with the rest of Virginia.

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

"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"--Bob Dylan

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

Yes, absolutely. The problems facing the City of Richmond--25% poverty rate, low school achievement--are deeply challenging, and the City of Richmond is a very complex organization. Understanding both the policy challenges and how the organization works is critically important in developing strong policy to allow us to progress.

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

Budget analysis, deep understanding of policy issues, knowledge of how the organization works, ability to listen and learn, ability to process information quickly, ability to ask tough questions, ability to relate to and listen to all constituents, ability to both see details and the big picture.

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.

See also

2019 Elections

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