RICHMOND PAGE

Commonwealth of Virginia

Politics

Election question

Hypothetically, what if a mayoral election produced this tally? Who would be on the ballot in the run-off election? District 1District 2District 3District 4District 5District 6District 7District 8District 9

CANDIDATE	Brown	Lorillard	Morris	Philips	Reynolds	TOTAL VOTES CAST IN DISTRICT	VICTOR IN DISTRICT
2,800	2,900	1,666	1,766	3,000	12,132	Reynolds
1,950	2,100	1,074	1,174	2,200	8,498	Reynolds
1,975	2,075	1,026	1,126	2,175	8,377	Reynolds
2,695	2,795	1,700	1,805	2,900	11,895	Reynolds
2,950	3,053	965	1,075	100	8,143	Lorillard
1,150	1,250	1,400	500	101	4,401	Morris
2,150	100	2,260	1,250	207	5,967	Morris
1,405	1,583	1,100	1,700	120	5,908	Philips
1,375	1,550	1,270	1,655	115	5,965	Philips
CITYWIDE VOTE	18,450	17,406	12,461	12,051	10,918	71,286
CITYWIDE PERCENTAGE	25.9%	24.4%	17.5%	16.9%	15.3%	100.0%
NUMBER OF DISTRICTS CARRIED	0	1	2	2	4

Here is a map of the districts.

Please note an error. The area south of District 7 (near the picture of Delores L. McQuinn) is part of Henrico County, not Chesterfield County.

Why has the city numbered all of its white-majority districts to be listed before any of its black-majority districts?

2nd District

An open letter to Mayor Dwight C. Jones

24 August 2009

Mayor Dwight C. Jones
900 East Broad Street
Suite 201
Richmond, Virginia 23219

Dear Mayor Jones:

I understand that there are still vacant intersections on Monument Avenue. Traditionally, this thoroughfare has been reserved for Virginian Civil War heroes. Such a hero was William H. Carney.

William H. Carney was born into slavery in Norfolk in 1840. At the age of 14, he was freed upon the death of his mother's owner. In 1856, he accompanied his family to New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Carney enlisted in the 54th Infantry, in 1863 and became a sergeant. During a charge on Fort Wagner, near Charleston, South Carolina, he rescued the flag from the fallen color bearer, carried it to the front of the column, crossed the ditch and climbed the parapet. Even after being shot in the thigh, Sgt. Carney knelt under fire for an hour, holding the flag. During retreat, he suffered two more wounds. The flag never touched the ground.

Carney was cited for bravery. His subsequent career in the post office was not marred by gunfire. In 1900, Carney was awarded the Medal of Honor. After being injured in an elevator accident, he died in 1908.

Too often we look for our heroes only at the top, among the lucky and the remarkably gifted. William Carney's achievement reminds us that all of us can rise above our surroundings, that dignity can come from perseverance even as we are driven down.

Many Richmond residents owe their freedom to the efforts of heroes like Sergeant William H. Carney. His legacy can be an inspiration to future generations. Will you help immortalize Sgt. Carney on Monument Avenue?

Yours truly,

The Green Troll