7th District newcomer draws fire and praise

Delores L. McQuinn moves from the Richmond City Council to the Virginia House of Delegates.

The Richmond City Council has only started accepting résumés for its vacant 7th District seat, but one candidate's recent move into the district and her work there are generating significant attention.

Comments posted on the Web site Church Hill People's News have taken aim at Cynthia Newbille, who is former 7th District Councilwoman Delores L. McQuinn's recommended successor.

An online petition, started anonymously, doesn't mention Newbille or other potential candidates, but it urges the council to appoint "a bona fide resident of the 7th District," not someone who would move into the district to meet requirements to serve.

Newbille said yesterday that she has been renting a house in the 7th District since Jan. 1 because she's interested in the council position as a way to continue her work in the city's East End.

"I'm a product of this community. I'm invested in this community," said Newbille, acting director of the nonprofit East District Family Resource Center.

She also served as chief of staff to then-City Manager Calvin D. Jamison and managed the city's East District Initiative.

Newbille said she would be bothered if someone moved into the district to qualify for office and had not been involved in the community. "That's just not the circumstance here," she added.

A check of city voter records found this week that Newbille isn't a registered voter in the 7th, but officials acknowledged that the list would not reflect registrations made in recent weeks. Newbille said she moved from Henrico County but lived for many years in the city's 6th District.

In recent days, a second online petition was started in support of Newbille. It had 21 signatures yesterday afternoon, compared with 73 signatures on the other.

Kim Chen, who signed the original petition, said she believes it's critical for the new council member to have strong connections to the 7th District, including a history of living there.

"There are some pretty big issues that are going to be coming up in the next year," she said, referring to proposals for a ballpark in Shockoe Bottom and the Echo Harbour condominiums along the James River.

McQuinn suggested that the debate could help Newbille.

"Those experiences help you see how tough a person is," she said. "In this arena, you need some tough skin."

McQuinn resigned from the 7th District council seat this week before being sworn in to represent the 70th District in the House of Delegates. She won a special election this month to fill the legislative seat, which opened when Dwight C. Jones was elected mayor.

The remaining eight members of the City Council plan to appoint a 7th District representative Feb. 9. The city clerk's office reported yesterday that it has received no applications. The deadline for submissions is Thursday, and at least a half-dozen candidates have been expected to submit their names. The appointee would serve until a special election in November.

Council members plan to ask candidates how long they've lived in the district, but the issue is one of many factors expected to be considered in the appointment.

City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson said length of residency is a legitimate question for prospective officeholders, but she noted that it's not unusual for someone to move to satisfy political ambitions. Former Mayor L. Douglas Wilder moved from Charles City County to Richmond in 2004 after announcing that he would run for mayor.

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or .