Top Virginia political leaders, including Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott and Norfolk council member JP Paige, paid tribute Wednesday to former Norfolk City Councilman Paul Riddick, the man they called a mentor.
Riddick represented Norfolk’s Ward 4 from 1992 to 2022. He died Wednesday at 78.
Alexander said he had known Riddick and his family his entire life, noting that his mother and Riddick graduated from Booker T. Washington High School together in 1966. Riddick went on to attend Saint Paul's College and was a one-time leader of the local NAACP, Alexander said.
Alexander described Riddick as a champion for Ward 4 who regularly spoke from the council dais about the needs of poor and marginalized residents, not just in Norfolk but across Hampton Roads.
"His presence will be missed, and we will forever remember him for the good work that he did here in the city of Norfolk and throughout the Hampton Roads region,” Alexander said.
Alexander credited Riddick with recruiting him to leave the Virginia Senate and return to Norfolk to run for mayor, a race that made Alexander the city's first Black mayor.
"But for Mr. Riddick's support and encouragement and involvement on that campaign, I would not have been successful," Alexander said.
Alexander said Riddick taught him to balance confidence with humility while in public office.
"Be concerned for the poor and marginalized, be concerned for the voiceless, be concerned for the downtrodden," Alexander said, recalling Riddick's advice. "He insisted at every step of the way that there are ethical dimensions to our actions and our work."
Riddick first rose to prominence in Norfolk politics as the president of the local NAACP chapter. He led the fight to try to preserve bussing in Norfolk as the city sought in the 1980’s to end the practice that had been instituted to racially integrate the public schools. Riddick lost that fight — the NAACP filed suit, bringing it all the way to the Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case — but it paved the way for him to step into electoral politics, where he rose as high as Norfolk’s vice-mayor.
Scott, a Portsmouth attorney and delegate who became Virginia’s first Black Speaker of the House in 2024, called Riddick "a giant" whose 30 years on the council never wavered from fighting for working families.
"Paul was part of a generation of leaders who kicked down doors so people like me could walk through them," Scott said in a statement. "I don't get to be Speaker without men like Paul Riddick."
Scott said Riddick said what he meant and stood alone when he had to.
Paige, who succeeded Riddick as the council member representing Ward 4, said the former councilman was a father figure to him and to many in Norfolk who grew up without one.
"He stepped in, he showed up, he inspired and he gave people hope," Paige said.
Paige said Riddick called him with a job opportunity at a time when he was searching for direction after earning his master's degree, a moment Paige said changed his life.
"Mr. Riddick lived as the people he served lived," Paige said. "He gave to those who had less and never asked for anything in return."
Paige said he intends to carry Riddick's legacy forward.
"I will continue that work with the same commitment he showed every day," Paige said.
