Former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder tonight was leading in his
bid to become this city's first elected mayor in more than 50 years, in
early returns. Wilder, a Richmond native, was beating three other
candidates, including the current mayor, Rudolph C. McCollum Jr., who
was appointed by the City Council three years ago. "We're feeling good
about the election," Wilder said in a morning interview as he toured
the city after voting. In addition to McCollum, Wilder ran against
former School Board member Charles Nance and architect Lawrence E.
Williams in the nonpartisan election. All four candidates toured the
city this afternoon, talking with voters before retreating to
restaurants across the city to wait for the returns. The winner needed
to carry five of the city's nine districts. In early returns, Wilder
led in four. During the campaign, Wilder, who in 1989 became the first
African American elected governor in the nation, consistently expressed
disgust that the capital city has fallen into what he called disrepair,
often citing Richmond's high poverty levels, poor student performance
in city schools and an increasing homicide rate. He also described City
Hall as a "cesspool" of corruption after several council members and
other city officials were convicted of felonies. [more]
Article originally appeared on (http://brownwatch.com/).
See website for complete article licensing information.