November 10 12, 2016 issue

Page 1

Richmond Free Press © 2016 Paradigm Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

VOL. 25 NO. 46

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA

www.richmondfreepress.com

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Words from Clinton, Kaine, President-elect Trump A6, A7

NOVEMber 10-12, 2016

Mike Segar/Reuters

Republican Donald Trump claims victory about 3 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a telephone call from Democrat Hillary Clinton conceding the presidential contest. Election results showed Mr. Trump had won more than the 270 electoral college votes needed to win. He is flanked by running mate Mike Pence, left, and his son, Baron. Left, her head bowed with emotion, Hillary Clinton addresses her staff and supporters at a formal concession speech in New York on Wednesday.

‘They kilt us, but they ain’t whupped us yet’ Carlos Barria/Reuters

Carlos Barria/Reuters

A Clinton supporter dejectedly listens as unfavorable election results are reported during an Election Night rally in New York.

Free Press staff and wire reports

WASHINGTON Emboldened Republicans claimed a mandate Wednesday for Donald Trump after his stunning election as the 45th president of the United States. With results too close to call Tuesday night in several key battleground states, many people went to bed not knowing the election’s outcome. But news reports broke about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday that Democrat Hillary Clinton had telephoned her Republican opponent to concede, acknowledging that he had garnered the required 270 electoral college votes to clinch the presidency. Mr. Trump then took the stage about 3 a.m. to address hundreds of his jubilant supporters waiting at a victory rally in Manhattan. He said it was “time for America to bind the wounds of division.” “I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president

Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated in one of nation’s most stunning political upsets in history for all Americans,” he said. It was an astonishing victory for the 70-year-old celebrity businessman and political novice who capitalized on voters’ economic anxieties, took advantage of racial tensions and overcame a string of sexual assault allegations during a hard-fought battle to win the White House.

Related stories on A6, A7 and A10 Mrs. Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state and U.S. senator representing New York, told crestfallen supporters in a late-morning address Wednesday that the GOP victor deserved a “chance to lead.” President Obama pledged a smooth transition of power. “We are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country,” President Obama said of the man who spent years questioning President Obama’s birthplace and challenging the

Mike Segar/Reuters

Trump supporters celebrate at an early morning rally Wednesday as election returns showing victory roll in.

legitimacy of his presidency. President Obama, who had declared Mr. Trump unfit for the presidency, invited him to the White House on Thursday. Mrs. Clinton’s emotions were raw as she addressed a crowd of supporters, eyes wet with tears, who gathered in a New York ballroom late Wednesday morning where she conceded the election. Joined by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea, Mrs. Clinton was introduced by her vice presidential running mate, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Richmond. “I’m proud of Hillary Clinton because, in the words of Langston Hughes, she has held fast to dreams,” Sen. Kaine said, his eyes filled with tears. His wife, Anne Holton, the former Virginia secretary of education, was by his side. “She’s been in battles before where, if it didn’t go her way, she accepted it but then Please turn to A8

Stoney to be city’s youngest mayor By Jeremy M. Lazarus

Levar Stoney will be the next mayor of Richmond. Belying earlier polls that portrayed him as an also-ran in the contest, Mr. Stoney swept to a surprising outright victory in Tuesday’s election by capturing five of the nine City Council districts — the magic number. He also won the largest slice of the citywide vote, 36 percent, against four opponents in claiming wins in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th districts on a night when many were predicting a deadlock resulting in a December runoff election to determine the city’s next chief executive.

Related stories on A4, A8 and A10 Parlaying support from the Democratic establishment and younger voters, Mr. Stoney shocked the two pre-election favorites, according to the polls — attorney Joseph D. “Joe” Morrissey and former Downtown booster John F. “Jack” Berry. A close associate of Gov. Terry McAuliffe and a former member of his cabinet, the mayorelect is set to replace outgoing Mayor Dwight C. Jones on Jan. 1. He apparently will be the youngest Richmond mayor at age 35. “It is my commitment, as the new mayor of the city, to inject fresh energy, a new approach and some new ideas to take this city to the next level,” Mr. Stoney said, claiming victory Wednesday night after the final votes were counted. He promised to promote transparency and

Ava Reaves

Richmond Mayor-elect Levar Stoney cheers in victory late Tuesday night at a Downtown restaurant while surrounded by campaign staff and supporters.

accountability and to focus on “improving the lives of Richmond children by strengthening our schools.” “It is time for Richmond to have a mayor who tells our children they matter by investing in our schools, who tells our citizens they matter by connecting them with jobs and tells

our families they matter by making sure we are providing them the premium services they deserve,” he stated in a Free Press interview ahead of the election. “People pay top dollar to live in Richmond; they need top dollar services.” Starting out with 18 announced candidates, the race for Richmond mayor ended with eight

names on the ballot and three with an opportunity to win. Three people dropped out of the race after the ballots were printed. The race was among the most expensive in city history, with more than $1.7 million poured into the contest. Mr. Stoney and Mr. Berry raised the lion’s share, about $775,000 apiece. Mr. Stoney appears to have won the election around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday when the Richmond Voter Registrar’s Office reported the results from the last few precincts. However, he did not claim victory until around 8 p.m. Wednesday — nearly 20 hours later — after the registrar’s office posted results from the delayed count of 7,438 absentee ballots. Mr. Morrissey, who won the 8th and 9th districts and trailed in the popular vote with about 20 percent, conceded the race around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday when it became clear he could not win five districts and had won too few votes to be in a runoff. Mr. Berry, who won the 1st and 4th districts and was second in the popular vote, with about 34 percent, conceded after the absentee votes came in and showed he would not overtake Mr. Stoney in the 3rd District, which Mr. Stoney won by 600 votes. The tallies on the city government website indicate Mr. Stoney defeated Mr. Berry in the popular vote, 35,525, or 36 percent, to 33,447 votes or 34 percent. Mr. Morrissey was a distant third with 20,995, or 21 percent. Mr. Stoney apparently benefited from two events in the final days before Richmonders Please turn to A8


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