Originally published in the Autumn 2020 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 63, printed October 29. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Autumn 2020 issue or download the full PDF, see this post. For the full web catalog, see our Full Issues page.

This newspaper sent the list of questions below to all candidates for Richmond mayor and city council, asking for simple yes or no answers. We received 12 responses. The results appear below. One interesting point was that all 12 responders agreed that VCU property in Richmond should be taxed at the standard city rate. State property is now exempt from taxation and would require a change in the state constitution, which can be done by amendment. Making this change – and also taxing other state and federal real estate in the city, could go a long way toward providing the revenue necessary to really meet the needs of the people.