Royster won’t seek reelection
Norfolk Council member to focus on family business
NORFOLK — Councilwoman Danica Royster is the second incumbent to announce this month she will not run to keep her seat.
Royster, who represents Superward 7, made the announcement last week on Facebook, saying she’s taking a larger role in her family’s financial firm. The financial wealth manager said she hasn’t taken the opportunity to serve on council for granted.
“I just felt like it would be unfair to the residents of Norfolk, stakeholders and people I’ve interacted with if all of the sudden I wasn’t delivering and being able to approach the service work as I have been doing,” Royster said in an interview Thursday.
At 31, Royster was appointed to the council in January 2021, filling the seat vacated by Angela Williams Graves’ election to the House of Delegates. She defeated five opponents to retain the seat that November.
Royster said she accomplished what she told voters she’d do — objectives she crafted after hearing input from constituents.
That includes bolstering violence and crime intervention efforts in the St. Paul’s corridor and nighttime basketball programming, establishing small business and nonprofit town halls with help from fellow City Councilwoman Mamie Johnson, collecting neighborhood input on the future of Poplar Halls and organizing the Berkley Supermarket gift card giveaway, which was planned for Saturday.
Royster also serves as the co-chair of the St. Paul’s Advisory Committee and had previously overseen the St. Paul’s Redevelopment Advisory board. She said she plans to return to volunteering
in literacy tutoring of young students, which she did from 2013-20, and likely will get involved with other service groups.
“Now, my focus is I still have ten more months left that I’m (on City Council) and I plan on finishing strong and continuing to do what I set out to do,” Royster said.
Superward 7 covers half the city, representing most of Norfolk’s east and south sides and parts of the military installations at Willoughby Bay.
Andria McClellan also announced this month she would not seek reelection to the council’s Superward 6 seat. McClellan said she made the decision to focus on her family.
Royster and McClellan said they announced their plans not to seek reelection now so that new candidates have time to organize campaigns.