Former Norfolk Councilman Paul Riddick Remembered

By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter Emeritus
New Journal and Guide

Paul Riddick, 78, who served the longest tenure of any Norfolk Councilperson, died on July 15, sparking an array of condolences and fond commentaries.

After 30 years, Riddick retired from the Ward 4 council seat in  2022. He was the first African-American elected after the city was forced to convert to electing council members by wards.

Riddick brought a straightforward, candid, unapologetic approach to addressing issues and calling out those who opposed his views.  This was in stark contrast  to what he described as the diplomatic and genteel style of “the elite Black leaders,” whom, he said, “powerful White people  have taken for granted and ignored.”

A good example of this took place for a number of years during the observance  of the  birthday and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at  the Historic Attucks Theater.  

Before they led a march up Church Street to a monument  honoring King,  where they placed a wreath,   civic leaders delivered predictable flowery  interpretations of King’s achievements.

But  Riddick’s address was more pointed,  where he  described “the two Norfolks.”  One benefiting from investment and  the privilege of Whiteness. The other, mostly Black and poor, “struggled under the weights of neglect and economic disparity.”          

“Paul was the moral voice, conscience and champion of the Norfolk City Council,” said Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Gunns, senior pastor of  Second Calvary Baptist Church of Norfolk. “His presence and leadership throughout the city paved the way for many who followed him into civic leadership.”  

Before he got on the council, Riddick served as President of the Norfolk NAACP where he spoke out against the city’s  ending of bussing, highlighted acts of police brutality, and urged the city to hire more Black police and fire personnel.

James Rivers, a former Norfolk NAACP President and long-time civic activist, said he realized Riddick’s energy and drive when Riddick joined the civil rights group in the 1970s.

After becoming NAACP President, Riddick used that platform to voice his opinion on economic issues facing Black people, said Rivers. When he left the NAACP to launch his political career, Riddick supported Melinease F. Hightower Hutchinson’s elevation  to be  the first Black female head of the city’s NAACP.

“Paul was a go-getter and was a strong champion of the people he thought had no voice,” said Rivers, now 85.

“He had the temerity to challenge the majority on council  and did so despite the backlash from his colleagues and the community who disagreed with him.  He was a unique figure in history and he will be hard to replace.”

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Throughout his tenure on council, this reporter observed over time  that Riddick was the lone, dissenting  voice on a myriad of issues.

As his colleagues squirmed just inches away on the dais, he did not care about them pushing back against his criticism of city policy or isolating him politically for his positions, which bolstered his constituents’ support.

“Paul was never a person who stayed quiet…and went along just to get along,” said Anne Boone, an activist and President of the Berkley Historical Society. “Since he knew so much about the city’s history, he had an honest and principled view of what was going on and spoke out against anything that was not in the interest of his constituents.”

Riddick publicly denounced the lack of Black participation in the city’s procurement system and the demolition of public housing and he opposed the development of MacArthur Center as it diverted funds from investment in struggling Black neighborhoods.

Tensions between him and his colleagues on the council were so stiff at one point, he lost their support as Vice Mayor.

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Riddick inherited a legacy of public service.  His grandfather, John Riddick, hailed from Princess Anne County. He started a contracting business building  many  dwellings  in and around the  Huntersville neighborhood in Norfolk, including the one where the late councilman lived.

The former councilman inherited one of the oldest businesses  in Norfolk,  Riddick Funeral Home. Opened in 1937, his father, Jacob, and Uncle Walter ran it, originally on Chapel Street in the Church Street business corridor before it was moved to Norview Avenue.

Both men had their hands in a variety of civic and business interests, including organizing the Atlantic National Bank, nurturing the genesis of Norfolk State University, raising money for the Hunton YMCA and the Norfolk Community Hospital, and  raising thousands of dollars  for scholarships and other charitable campaigns.

Paul Riddick attended Norfolk State University briefly after graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in 1966.

He eventually earned an Associate’s Degree in Mortuary Sciences from John Tyler Community College.

While running his funeral home, he sold insurance and was elected President of the Norfolk NAACP  before entering politics in the 1980s.

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Earl Fraley, the current chair of the NRHA Board of Directors, said he was 14 when he first met Riddick, who lived with his mother in Young Park. They  “ran in the same circles” and had friendly battles on the basketball court.

Encouraged and supported by his friend, Fraley, a businessman,  said he moved from being a director of a city department to the  Planning Commission to his current role.

“He had his quirks, but he was generous, had a big personality  and was always willing to help anyone,” said Fraley.

“Most of the city’s public housing units were in his ward. He knew the needs and struggles of the residents and worked to help them.  Paul was a mentor and paved the way for so many people  who are now public servants.”

This included Norfolk Councilman John “JP” Paige,   Riddick’s choice to replace him on council, who said, “Mr. Riddick has known me longer than I have known myself.”

“His legacy all his life is supporting and being a voice for the marginalized,” said Paige, who has vowed to carry on Riddick’s legacy.  “He was on the council for 30 years, but he never enriched himself. His wealth was working for the people who were left behind.”

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Representatives of  all the other six wards changed at least three times over 30 decades.  He served with three Mayors: Joe Leafe,  Paul Fraim  and now Dr. Kenneth C. Alexander, elected in 2016.  While he was antagonistic to Leafe and Fraim, he had a cordial relationship with Alexander, who described  Riddick’s legacy as one “devoted to a public servant whose life’s work championed social and economic progress for poor and marginalized communities.”

“Paul was a  close colleague of my father and a classmate of my mother, graduating alongside her from Booker T. Washington High School,” wrote the mayor, noting Riddick’s passing.   “Throughout my own career, he was a trusted mentor and  source of encouragement… and supported my appointments to the Economic Development Authority and the Planning Commission, my campaigns for the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia, and ultimately for Mayor of Norfolk. Quite simply.”

Currently representing most of the city of Norfolk, State Senator Angelia Williams Graves’ view of Riddick was a sour one,  initially.  Due to some personal issues in public, she  even contemplated running to unseat him but was advised to run for the Super Ward 7, which she represented  from 2010-21.

“After I got to know him, I realized each of us has a point of view based on our past,” she said. “Paul was raised by a single parent  and experienced urban poverty firsthand. I had none of those experiences.”

“He said what he meant, stood alone when he had to, and you never had to guess where he stood or who he was fighting for,” she said.

Williams Graves chaired the transition committee overseeing the St. Paul Redevelopment Project.   Riddick was concerned, fearing the experiences  of the Bowling and Roberts Parks residents, who were displaced with no assistance, would be repeated.

“Paul did a lot of  work behind the scenes to make sure  the  St. Paul’s residents were treated fairly,” she said. “He supported the creation of the People’s First Initiative designed to help them in various ways.”

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Riddick described “The Make America Great Again Movement” (MAGA)  as a  reincarnation of the Tea Party.   It was born in Norfolk and  led by businessman and former Council Colleague Randy Wright. Powered by White working-class grievances,    Riddick and other Black leaders fought, in the 70s and 80s,  the group’s  efforts to end bussing, a tool used to desegregate  public schools in Norfolk, and other issues. 

Riddick said when the ward system was created, Wright and his faction  gained a voice, as did Blacks.  Riddick said  he and Wright  became allies when he   realized the “Shadow Government,  led by the  wealthy elites of the city’s West Side, resented both of us for fighting to empower our constituents.”

Riddick “worked to advance civil rights, strengthen neighborhood representation, and expand opportunities for residents, leaving an enduring mark on our city,” said Superward 7 Councilman Carlos Clanton, as he acknowledged Riddick’s transition.

Clanton said Riddick’s  legacy will also be shaped by his support of “the ward system that continues to shape Norfolk.”

Virginia’s Third District U.S. Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott said Riddick  “brought a deep understanding of his community and an unwavering determination to improve the lives of his constituents.”