What's at stake?
Following his victory to represent Fresno’s northeastern District 6, Nick Richardson journeyed 15 miles to City Hall to be officially sworn in as part of the Fresno City Council.
Instead of driving to his new job at City Hall on Tuesday, Nick Richardson walked 15 miles from Copper Hills Elementary to be sworn in as the council member representing northeastern Fresno’s District 6 on the Fresno City Council.
Joined by friends, family and colleagues of his campaign, Richardson carried with him a military rucksack containing papers listing the names of every voter in his district.
“It’s kind of like a backpack, this responsibility; I’ve told everyone that I’m here to carry your voice, carry your needs [and] carry your concerns where they need to go,” Richardson said during his walk to City Hall.
“A full backpack is a useful backpack and it’s an honor to have this responsibility.”
Richardson won his seat on the City Council after facing off against Roger Bonakdar, the favored D6 candidate with significant funding and endorsements.
Despite making the journey to his inauguration on Tuesday, Richardson told Fresnoland that he didn’t want to wait until his first day in office to get to work. He explained that he walked his district twice during the primary and general election campaigns to build relationships with residents and has his sights focused on public safety, homelessness and local commerce.
Richardson also explained that he plans on holding a town hall meeting within the next 100 days, saying he wants to promote his accessibility to his constituents.
“People want to feel like the government cares about them, and if they can’t even have access to the government, why are they going to think that?” he said.
Richardson was joined on his hike Tuesday by other councilmembers at different points in his journey, including Tyler Maxwell, Mike Karbassi and Nelson Esparza.
“This is a guy that’s really dedicated to the community,” Maxwell said of Richardson, adding “he cares a lot about the people, not just of his district, but the entire city.”
Maxwell expressed his support for Richardson, saying he looks forward to working with his future colleague, while also noting that both of them graduated from Buchanan High School in 2009.
Richardson’s fiance, Kelsey Schulteis, accompanied him during the 15-mile trek carrying a flag of Fresno and sharing her pride for Richardson.
“It’s just really fulfilling to see that [it all] worked out and that people see what I see in Nick, his good heart, his hard work and how he just wants to serve,” Schulteis said.
Schulteis also joked that now that the campaign work is over, they can start their wedding planning.
