Policy Record

Andreas knows first-hand how city government works, and more importantly, when it doesn’t. He is ready to start on Day One building stronger neighborhoods and commercial corridors centered around transit, expansion of greenspace, walkability, and small business growth.

  • Invested $88 million in the RPS budget — a $22 million increase for classrooms — and approved the funding to create three new state-of-the-art modern schools.

  • Started NextUp program at Albert Hill Middle School.

  • Worked with Senator McClellan to create the Commission on School Construction and Modernization to determine funding needs and identify funding mechanisms.

  • Visits every RPS school in the 1st District once a month during the school year.

Education:

  • Secured $1 million for the Eviction Diversion Program (EDP) to assist Richmonders cover housing-related expenses to avoid eviction and remain in their home. 

  • Secured $500,000 for the city’s first-ever Right to Counsel program for tenants undergoing the eviction process to have access to an attorney for guidance.

  • Secured more than $15M for the City's Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

  • Re-zoned the western end of the Pulse corridor on Broad Street to allow for denser, transit-oriented development.

  • Supported multifamily development to increase density and housing stock.

  • Chaired City Council Committee on Land Use, Housing, and Transportation.

  • Served on City Planning Commission, advocating for new infill and affordable housing projects citywide.

Housing:

  • Created the framework for a Department of Multi-Modal Transportation to build, operate, and maintain a transportation network that connects people and businesses with core services.

  • Developed a comprehensive infrastructure plan to support North/South Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes.

  • Initiated process to create a Transit Oriented Development zone for housing and commerce hubs to be built along mass transit on the Southside Corridors of Hull St., Midlothian Turnpike, and Richmond Highway.

  • Tripled Street Paving Budget and improved 70% of roads, with a goal of 80% by the end of 2024.

Infrastructure:

  • Created Technology Zone program to encourage tech job growth and investment.

  • Raised Business Professional Occupational License (BPOL) tax threshold from $100,000 to $250,000 to support Richmond's smallest business owners. More than 50% of businesses that paid BPOL taxes in 2023 did not have to pay in 2024.

  • Eliminated parking requirements to reduce burdens on businesses and communities.

Local Economy:

  • Led the creation of the Central Virginia Transportation Authority (CVTA) and unlocked a dedicated, regional funding stream for GRTC, prohibiting localities from reducing operating contributions to GRTC in future years.

  • Delivered fare-free transit on GRTC and ensured it would continue indefinitely.

  • Delivered a 40% raise for GRTC drivers to increase recruitment and retention and lower wait times for riders.

Mass Transit:

Preserving Richmond’s Black History:

  • Saved the Westhampton School from demolition by developers, the site of Jane Cooper Johnson’s (formerly Daisy Jane Cooper) monumental moment of breaking the racial segregation barrier in Richmond Public Schools. 

  • Led effort to permanently commemorate Cooper’s historic moment of racial justice in Richmond with the new “Strides” statue at the intersection of Libbie and Patterson Avenues.

  • Worked with Chesapeake Bank and Westwood Baptist Church to save and restore Westwood Neighborhood Park. Recognized the work by the neighborhood to commemorate its history with Westwood Historic Markers.

  • Served as the fifth and deciding vote to remove Confederate statues on Monument Avenue. Also publicly supported renaming of the Boulevard to Arthur Ashe Boulevard.

  • Preserved Hickory Hill Community Center from the installation of a burn tower for fire training at the request of neighbors in a historic Black neighborhood to protect green space and soccer field.

Racial and Economic Justice:

  • Served on the mayor’s Anti-Poverty Commission to support the growth and success of Black-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs in Richmond.

  • Won the 2013 IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Award on solutions to combat the effects of displacement in low-income neighborhoods while spurring economic development and private investment. 

  • Supported the creation and operations of the Office of Community Wealth Building and helped lobby the General Assembly to fund Community Wealth Building initiatives in the 2016 budget.

  • Led the Code for America Partnership in 2015 to improve access to healthcare for uninsured residents. 

  • Worked with Metropolitan Business League and CDFI to create a $1.5m “Revolving Loan Fund” for Black entrepreneurs that addresses a key funding gap and provides access to capital needed for starting and growing a business.

  • Co-sponsored a resolution opposing the U. S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Org. decision and requested the General Assembly of Virginia to protect and expand abortion access.

  • Helped deliver the Northside Planned Parenthood Health Center to expand options for health care, abortion, and gender-affirming care in the city.

Reproductive Care:

Safe Streets for All Omnibus:

  • Vision Zero traffic safety program oriented around equity and sustainability - created a new position dedicated to Vision Zero work within the Department of Public Works (DPW).

  • Made historic investments in pedestrian and bike infrastructure to improve safety and mobility.

  • Passed legislation to jumpstart the planning process for the Richmond Connects Multimodal Transportation Plan.

  • Made it illegal to park in a bike lane.

  • Delivered historic raises for public defenders, GRTC operators, and first responders.

  • Enabled City employees to participate in the Virginia Retirement System to access greater benefits, a vital recruiting and retention asset for staff.

  • Continuously supported collective bargaining, project labor agreements, and prevailing wage.

Standing with Workers:

Sustainability & Environmental Justice:

  • Established the Department of Public Utilities Commission to oversee the city’s transition away from natural gas.

  • Leveraged position on the Planning Commission to oppose the city’s planned burn tower at Hickory Hill.

  • Requested sustainability scorecard for new projects to ensure they adhere to RVAGreen2050 and Richmond300 goals.

  • Adopted a resolution to “declare the existence of a climate and ecological emergency that threatens the City of Richmond.”

Transparency & Accountability:

  • Created Participatory Budgeting Commission so residents have a say in how $3 million public dollars are invested.

  • Created the Public Utilities Commission for greater transparency around our utilities and transition the city away from natural gas to become a climate leader.

  • Helped develop best practices for complying with FOIA requests for employees and those requesting information.

  • Launched the open data portal in 2015 and codified it in 2017 for transparency around government spending.

  • Helped create the Civilian Review Board.