I believe my campaign has the boldest vision for economic development in Richmond. You will hear my opponents say, “We need to attract businesses,” and that means the normal song and dance of cutting taxes. 

But I will advocate for true economic development in Richmond. This means growing green jobs, increasing affordable housing stock, and supporting our small businesses. This also means improving our public transportation infrastructure— both so people can easily commute, and so increased economic activity doesn’t hugely impact our residential neighborhoods. 

Progressive economic development also means pairing economic growth with climate change resilience. By increasing public transit and making our cities more pedestrian-friendly, we support working people and small businesses, and also curb greenhouse emissions from traffic.

I'll also continue investment in public youth jobs programs, such as in YouthWorks, and establishing skilled union pre-apprentice training programs, to make sure the young people most affected by environmental injustice have support to build and lead the local green transition.