In this edition of Election 2018 2 minute sitdowns, mayoral candidate for the City of Richmond and current Mayor Pro Tempore and City Commissioner Jim Newby stopped by.
Newby explained his background, where he is a longtime Madison Countian who spent nearly 3 decades abroad following his career. However, he said he returned home and wanted to give back to the community, so he worked with the local fire department. It was then that Newby decided to get into local politics, and is taking his Commissioner role one step further by trying to vie for the spot of Mayor of the city.
Some of the topics touched on were the drug epidemic, which Newby said he wanted to fight by adding to the Police and Fire departments, which are luckily fully staffed at this moment. However, Newby said that was put in place decades ago, and with the new issues and crime throughout the city, more staffing is necessary.
Newby touched on the budget for the city, which he has dealt with during his time on the Commission, but says it is time to be less frugal as has been the trend lately. However, he said he was adamantly against the Main Street project, which will cost millions and potentially add parking issues on First Street and throughout downtown.
Lastly, Newby spoke on the economic development of downtown, and said that it is not the bar-fueled destination it once was. He says he is all for supporting local businesses, but something needs to change as there are quite a few empty storefronts in Richmond.
