Joseph C. Ritchie was the mayor of Newport News, Virginia for ten years, from July 1, 1976[1] to June 30, 1986. Ritchie was the first Republican mayor for the city; in fact, his election to City Council in 1970 was the first time a Republican had been chosen to serve as a Councilman.
Joseph C. Ritchie | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Newport News, Virginia | |
| In office 1976–1986 | |
| Deputy | Lorraine Grillo |
| Preceded by | Harry E. Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | Jessie M. Rattley |
Ritchie's decade as mayor saw significant[quantify] growth in the city.[citation needed] Major improvements[which?] to the infrastructure of the city were carried out during his terms.[citation needed] Ritchie himself considered the lowering of tax rates, a cause with which he was particularly involved in, to be key to growth in the city during this time.[citation needed] In 2017 Ritchie signed a "sister city" agreement with the city of Neyagawa, Osaka, Japan.[2]
After serving as mayor, Ritchie returned to his career as a contractor, as owner and CEO of the Ritchie-Curbow Construction Company.[3] The company is responsible for building several sites of interest in the Hampton Roads area. Ritchie is also a managing member of Newport News Town Center, LLC, responsible for the managing of the city's new City Center at Oyster Point district. In addition, Ritchie is an "organizer-director" of Virginia Company Bank, a new bank expecting to start serving residents and businesses in August 2005.
References
edit- ^ League of Virginia Municipalities (1977). Virginia municipal review. Vol. 55–56.
- ^ "Resolution of Recognition". City of Newport News Public eMeetings Portal. June 27, 2017.
- ^ "Candidates For Newport News Mayor". tribunedigital-dailypress. Daily Press. 13 March 1998. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
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