INTERVIEW: Stephanie Starling is running for 9th District City Council

“I could have moved anywhere after college,” says 9th District City Council candidate Stephanie Starling, but living in Southside and the 9th District is an intentional choice. She says that her love for community was shaped by the experience of her daughter going through Richmond Public Schools, and through the lens of caring for an aging parent.

Starling is motivated by a sense of community and the desire to help. She has in the past organized turkey drives and blanket collections for those in need. “I’ll do anything that I can do”, she says.

She pushed to get the 100 and 200 blocks of Carnation Street named for Maybell Fountain, a community advocate and volunteer, and was instrumental in getting the gym at Huguenot High School and a street re-named in honor of Coach Leroy “Bo” Jones, Sr.

Starling channels an urgency – “Southside can’t wait,” she says. “The 9th District is not last… we are just as important”. Her platform includes: A More Equitable 9th District, Banking & Food Access, Infrastructure and Development, Sidewalks + Public Safety, and Affordable Housing + Rent.

She has previously volunteered for Betsy Carr’s campaign, and is a member of the VUU Booster Club, the Richmond Crusade for Voters, the RVA Democratic Committee, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Starling has worked on the customer service side at Verizon for more than 18 years. A graduate of George Wythe High School and Norfolk State University, she was awarded a Graduate Certificate in HR Management from the University of Richmond this spring.

The 9th District (“South Central”) hugs the county line at Chippenham Parkway to the west, and stretches from Jahnke Road to Walmsley. The district includes the Midlothian corridor west of German School Road, Hull Street from Southwood Apartments, and the north side of much of Broad Rock Boulevard.

SEE ALSO: This year’s City Council and School Board candidates