A more honest and accountable Richmond city government was the major focus of a mayoral forum hosted by the Richmond Crusade for Voters last Thursday at Third Street Bethel AME Church.

About 50 people attended the forum, moderated by journalist Antoinette Essa. Candidates Andreas Addison, Danny Avula, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett and Harrison Roday shared their visions for more responsive and responsible city leadership.

“We need to make sure that we’re hiring a mayor in the next chapter that is going to be ensuring that accountability is a real reality, that transparency is a real reality,” Mosby said. “That they’re just not buzzwords that we’re saying when we are running for office, but they’re a part of a lifestyle.”

Recent headlines about improper use of city-issued credit cards by employees were addressed. Addison stated, “As mayor, I will make sure you see where your tax dollars are being spent. For me, that starts with how we operate as a city ... building your trust back to see the good work that good people do in City Hall, all across the city every day, cannot be mired by the few that are abusing the system, because that will not happen on my watch.”

Roday echoed this sentiment, adding, “I’ve been very clear that what has occurred is unacceptable and people need to be held accountable. When there are issues like this, we can’t just try to push it under the rug and say ‘everyone have a nice day.’”

Candidates discussed retaining the current chief administrative officer, addressing nepotism and cronyism allegations and their top priorities.

“So much of what needs to happen is accountability,” Avula said. “You’ve got to train your managers and supervisors to know and understand their HR policy, to know how to use progressive discipline and to know which offenses are immediately actionable.”

Other topics discussed included gun violence, real estate tax rates and food access, with some questions provided by the audience. Candidates also provided their thoughts on what they each saw as the biggest current issue in Richmond.

Both Mosby and Roday mentioned affordable housing, with Mosby repeatedly emphasizing it throughout the forum and Roday expanding on the topic to advocate for greater community investment.

Addison, meanwhile, discussed the state and perception of public safety, and Avula focused on lower-income residents at risk of displacement by new arrivals moving into the city. Neblett, for his part, remained focused on transparency and accountability.

“It just comes down to being up front, honest and having integrity,” Neblett said. “That’s what I plan to do as mayor.”

Some community members left the event impressed with the candidates and thankful for the opportunity to see their concerns and questions addressed.

“We got to hear each speaker articulate what it is that they’re actually thinking, so that voters can actually get an idea,” said entrepreneur Stafford Armstead. “This is one of the few forums that you can get that many details in one room, so I thought that was really good.”