“We have to get the people who can help solve the problem, solve the problem. We cannot just start from what we think. We have to be inclusive, ”he said.

Brown said it was important to him that all types of people advise city council when considering these matters.

“When I say ‘inclusion’ I’m not talking about color, not race,” Brown said. “We need to use our resources in this community and talk to the people who are doing things and working on these issues and have these conversations where everyone is at the table.”

“I represent Charlottesville,” said Brown. “I think right now there is a disconnect in who represents us and how we are represented … The people of Charlottesville will be the ones who change Charlottesville, not the changes and politics that we see in the city. Council chamber.

The seats for Mayor Nikuyah Walker and Councilor Heather Hill are up this year. Walker, who won her first term as an independent, said in February 2020 that she would run for a second term but had not made any public announcement on her intentions since then. Hill, a Democrat, recently announced that she would not seek re-election.

In addition to Brown, Brian Pinkston and Juandiego Wade are seeking one of two Democratic nominations. Joshua Carp was racing as a Democrat but recently retired from the race. Yasmine Washington failed to qualify for the Democratic primary and has since said she is running as an independent.