James (Jimmy) Freiberger II is running for Wayne Township Board as a Democratic candidate in the 2026 general election.
2026 Election Guide
The Western Wayne News asked candidates in contested races for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election the same questions.
- List your education and employment history highlights (100 words or less).
- What are two specific reasons you decided to run for this office? (100 words or less.)
- If elected/reelected, what are your top three priorities for your time in office? (150 words or less.)
- What are two specific skills you would bring to the office to benefit constituents, if elected/reelected? (100 words or less.)
- What’s one aspect of the government body you’re seeking to join or lead that you think is working well and should continue? (100 words or less.)
- What’s one aspect of the body you’re seeking to join or lead that you think needs to change, and what specific action(s) would you pursue to change it? (100 words or less.)
- Will you accept the results of the election process even if you are not elected/reelected? (50 words or less.)
- With state and federal changes limiting funding for government services, what specific strategies will you pursue if elected to sustain the finances of the body you’re seeking to join or lead? (150 words or less)
- Beyond encouraging attendance at public meetings, how do you plan to involve residents in decision making processes that the office you seek is a part of? (100 words or less.)
- Any other comments you’d like to share about your candidacy? (150 words or less.)
Candidates were given three weeks to respond with a firm deadline and word limits. We share their answers here, unedited from their original form.
For full election coverage, visit the Western Wayne News 2026 Election Guide.
Bio highlights I am a co-founder of the Richmond Housing & Health Rights Coalition (HHRC), a non-Partisan people-led group that aims to secure affordable and humane housing and health for all in Richmond. My involvement in its founding two years ago stems from my efforts to advocate for this community since High School, and the crowning achievement of our coalition is that our leadership is comprised of poor and working folks in Richmond who, up till now, have been told that they aren’t thinkers or leaders. I also have a B.A. in Philosophy and Peace & Global Studies from Earlham College.
Reasons you ran: To serve the interests of the people of Richmond, with whom I have engaged through the thousands of doors we’ve knocked and the hundreds of eviction court cases we’ve sat in on, far before running for office was a thought that crossed my mind.
In 2025, there was roughly $765,000 remaining in the township-assistance fund, even though only 157 households received assistance that year. It is possible to help far more people, and that this is not happening is a kind of violence. I am running because we can do better.
Top priorities : To use the Township as a vehicle for restoring dignity in Richmond to low-income renters and residents facing housing and health crises, and to be an advocate to those in our community who face slumlord-dominated housing.
To help bring about the vision of the Township as “grassroots government” by ensuring that the Township is transparent and responsive to the demands and needs of the poor and working people who we organize with every day.
To see to it that the township-assistance fund is used, to the best possible degree, for the purposes of lifting the burden of poverty upon the poor and working folks in this city, especially as our cost-of-living skyrockets well beyond what our low wages can keep up with.
Specific skills: My skills in community organizing will benefit constituents by bringing matters of the Township directly to their doorsteps. Organizing is all about acting as a community, rather than alone – thus, the decisions I make in office will reflect the decisions of the community I engage with, not just me.
One of the Township’s abilities is to support special programs, like the current Dwyer center and laundry projects. Likewise, programs need to be sustainable. I have a long history of helping start sustainable projects, like the HHRC, my balloon-twisting business, and the HHRC’s eviction court watching project.
Should continue: The Township currently supports special program that addresses the needs of our city’s most vulnerable, such as the Dwyer center, representative payee program, and the diaper and laundry projects. The Township has the unique power to set up and support programs like these, and should I be elected, I will be a staunch advocate for creating and sustaining such programs while ensuring that they are in tune with the needs of the people.
Needs to change: Many people who are eligible for assistance never receive it because of the excessive documentation requirements of the current application process. Most of the required documents are not actually mandated by state law, such as sixty days of personal receipts. Despite multiple full-time staff, the office only holds 12 hours of assistance a week. When I’m elected, I will support lightening excessive eligibility standards and expanding walk-in availability to 40 hours a week, including Saturday.
Accept election results: Yes.
Funding strategies: To reiterate, the Township ended 2025 with about $765,000 remaining in the township-assistance fund, even though only 157 households received assistance that year. We’ve met more households in need than this within a year at the doorstep. We don’t actually need to ask taxpayers for more – we can better utilize the resources already entrusted to the Township. My highest priority on the board will be advocating for the best distribution of these funds that helps the most people in the greatest need. This is already possible given the funds that already aren’t being used.
Engaging the public: For years before deciding to run for this office, I have already been embedded in the community, organizing with folks to meet each other’s needs. I am only running for the sake of the people of Richmond, and I will continue this practice once in office. People can find us at the HHRC’s biweekly potlucks or the tabling we do at community events, and we will meet them where they’re at through our door-knocking.
Other comments: To be an effective and ethical candidate, your candidacy should be commissioned by and held accountable to a base of people who are most impacted by the issues you are attempting to address as a candidate. Most politicians I have seen in this city, even the most innocent ones, first take it upon themselves to run for office, and then organize with the people to secure votes. I think the opposite should be the case – organize with the people first, become accountable to them, and only then, should you raise the question of candidacy.
A version of this article will appear in the October 14 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.