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PROFILE: 7th District School Board Candidate Keith West

We recently sat down with 7th District School Board candidate Keith’s West.

Keith West and his brother moved to Richmond 7 years ago from Wilmington, North Carolina. Long-time web entrepreneur, West operates a web-based travel company, eGo. He attended the public schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, and went on to serve as a pilot in the U.S. Navy. It was his time in the Navy at Virginia Beach that first aquainted West with Richmond.

Giving credit to his stint in the Navy and time spent running a successful business, West feels that he has the background and leadership experience to help improve the Richmond Public Schools. He says that “the schools need fixing” and points to raising student achievement as a top priority. To be a great city, we need a better public school system.

When asked about the Mayor’s City of the Future plan that calls for a restructuring of the local public schools, West said that, without speaking about any specific facility, he recognizes that the declining population means that some schools need to be closed. He sees this as an obvious place to save money in the school system, and cites the need to make sure that the money being spent on education is being well-spent.

Of note, West helped to raise over $600,000 for the victims of 9-11 through a website that he started, september11.org. He is also a past President of the Church Hill Association.

If you are interested in contacting Mr.West or helping with his campaign, contact him at 644-1080 or keith@ego.com.