Joy Crump will run for the Ward 2 seat on Fredericksburg’s City Council in November. Crump, owner of the local restaurant FOODE + Mercantile on Princess Anne Street and event facility 718 Venue on Caroline Street, has lived and worked in Fredericksburg since 2011.
“There is undoubtedly something magical about all of Fredericksburg, but my heart and my homes have always been in Ward 2,” Crump said in a press release announcing her candidacy.
Crump said she’s been afforded a unique opportunity to serve the community through work while also gaining first-hand perspective on the diverse demographic that calls 22401 its home.
“I came to Fredericksburg about 15 years ago and around that time, the City began to undergo some significant changes: in housing, in the small business landscape, in its infrastructure and on the face of its own environment,” Crump said. “With those changes come issues that need thoughtful solutions. I think we can agree that it’s important to protect the wonderful things that are uniquely Fredericksburg. But, we also must have a responsible and transparent path for the changes that will inevitably shape our City.”
If elected, Crump said she will work closely with residents to help craft solutions that will serve everyone in the community.
Crump serves as a Board Member of the University of Mary Washington’s Women’s Colloquium, Downtown Greens and the Fredericksburg Area Museum. For nearly a decade she has worked closely with Micah Ministries Workforce Development Program.
Additionally, she works regularly in and alongside the Fredericksburg Baptist Church as a steward of its many outreach programs. Crump has also been involved with Fredericksburg area schools as well as the schools in surrounding counties, speaking on the importance of supporting locality in all aspects, particularly in terms of food and small business.
Crump has been called to advocate on Capitol Hill to help end food insecurity for families in the region and has worked closely with the National organization No Kid Hungry to end childhood hunger through schools. Some of her most important work has been with The James Beard Foundation to fight food waste and its harmful effects on the environment, both in the region and nationally.
The Ward 2 seat will be open in November because incumbent Jon Gerlach decided not to run for re-election. Two other candidates have announced that they’ll run for the seat.
Anne Little, the founder of Tree Fredericksburg and a former mayoral candidate, announced in December that she plans to run, while Christian Zammas, the owner of now-closed Katora Coffee and Katora Cafe UMW said earlier this month that he would begin gathering signatures to appear on November’s ballot.
