Butt out after 27 years of Richmond politics, so now voters must decide on next mayor

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt is the longest continuously serving member of the City Council in Richmond’s history. Term limits are about to end his 27 years in office — the last eight of which were as mayor.

At first glance, Butt’s longtime colleague Nathanial Bates has the advantage to replace him on name recognition alone. The 91-year-old councilmember — who was first elected in 1967 and is the oldest elected official in the U.S. In a city with more than 100,000 people, according to the city of Richmond — has already been mayor twice.