Carlos Brown running for 69th House of Delegates District seat

In the same afternoon that lawmakers bid adieu to retiring Del. Franklin P. Hall, D-Richmond, lamenting the loss of his institutional knowledge, another candidate announced his bid to replace the longtime delegate.

Carlos Brown, a corporate finance lawyer, is joining the hopefuls vying to succeed Hall in the 69th House of Delegates district.

Hall is leaving the House after 33 years to become one of three Alcoholic Beverage Control commissioners who oversee the state's liquor monopoly.

Antione M. Green, president of the Richmond Crusade for Voters, and Betsy Carr, a Richmond School Board member, previously announced their intentions to run for the 69th District, which is anchored in South Richmond, includes part of Chesterfield County, and has an African-American majority.

The Democratic Party will decide whether its nominee is selected in a primary or a convention. Brown, senior counsel for Dominion Resources Services, a Dominion subsidiary, has the backing of state Sens. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond, and A. Donald McEachin, D-Henrico, as well as Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones.

The 34-year-old has worked at McGuireWoods and at McCandlish Holton since he graduated from the University of Virginia. He also co-founded a general service law firm where he focused on small business and corporate finance. He is working on establishing permanent residency within the district's boundaries.

Last year, Brown ran unsuccessfully against Delores L. McQuinn for the party's nomination for the 70th District House seat, which Jones vacated to take over as Richmond mayor. McQuinn, D-Richmond, won the nomination and the special election for Jones' seat.

"I am entering this race [for Hall's seat] because, in these precarious economic times, we need a strong voice for economic development here in Richmond," Brown said. "We need to ensure that we are creating and preserving jobs and assisting small businesses so Richmonders can provide for their families."

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