Mayor Appoints DCAO for Economic and Community Development, Director of Housing and Community Development, Director of Community Wealth Building

Mayor Levar M. Stoney today announced the appointment of three highly skilled professionals to fill three executive positions currently being held by interim appointees.

Sharon Ebert has been selected to serve as the new Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for the Economic and Community Development Portfolio. Douglas Dunlap has been named as the Director of Housing and Community Development. Valaryee Mitchell, interim Director of the Office of Community Wealth Building, has been appointed to lead the office on a permanent basis.

“Our city is blessed to have top-tier talent assuming these key leadership roles,” said Mayor Stoney. “Sharon, Doug and Valaryee have the expertise and dedication to lead these departments and I look forward to all we will accomplish together working for the residents of the City of Richmond.”

Sharon Ebert has more than 25 years of experience working in state and local government. Her work experience has resulted in over a billion dollars in investments in areas of economic and retail development, tax credit financing, historic preservation, mixed-income and mixed-use redevelopment.

Ebert previously held positions in New York City, Yonkers, NY, Philadelphia, PA, and Bridgeport, CT. As the Deputy Commissioner of Planning and Development in Yonkers, NY, She was responsible for all economic, community and real estate development activities undertaken by the city, as well as all planning activities including master and urban renewal plans, neighborhood and downtown revitalization and affordable housing.

Most recently, Ebert served as Director of Community Development in the City of Johns Creek, GA where she oversaw planning, zoning, land development, building, permitting, and code enforcement activities. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and previously held the credential of a registered and licensed architect while working in New York.

Douglas Dunlap has been employed with the city for 19 years, during which time he has served in several capacities across multiple departments. Previously serving as Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Development Review and most recently Interim Deputy Chief Administrative Officer.

Dunlap has more than 25 years of experience in public administration in areas of planning, housing and community development. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hampton University as well as a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Prior to joining the city, Dunlap was employed with the Better Housing Coalition where he managed its homeownership program overseeing Cary 2000 and Jefferson Mews homeownership phases.

Valaryee Mitchell has more than 18 years of progressive experience with workforce programs including those serving youth, adults, people living in poverty, dislocated workers, re-entry and business.

In her previous role as Workforce Administrator she provided leadership and oversight for the City of Richmond’s workforce development initiatives including the Career Stations, BLISS Program, Business Services, and Mayor’s Youth Academy. Valaryee received her bachelor’s degree from Hampton University in Political Science and her Master of Public Administration from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Prior to coming to the Office of Community Wealth Building Mitchell was the Statewide One-Stop Coordinator for the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). During her tenure with the VCCS she established a One-Stop Certification process that reviewed continuous quality improvement in 18 American Job Centers across Virginia.

Mayor Stoney, Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to Hold Community Conversation on Race and Equality

Richmond Mayor Levar M. Stoney and former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu will discuss how local leaders can tackle critical social issues including racism and racial disparities, the history and symbolism of monuments and how to chart a path toward dismantling inequities. Julian Hayter, historian, author and associate professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, will serve as moderator.

The event will be held Tuesday, March 19, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, located at 428 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220. Doors will open at 9 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. Members of the public can rsvp to info@unumfund.org.

“It’s imperative we have the tough conversations about the history of racism and systemic inequities that continue to harm our communities,” said Mayor Stoney. “Historically marginalized communities — primarily low-income neighborhoods and communities of color —continue to feel the burden of a Jim Crow-era system in every facet of society, including in education, housing, transportation, economic development and health. Each of us share in the responsibility to speak honestly and work boldly to undo historic wrongs and give our children, families and communities their due opportunity to thrive. I am excited to welcome former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to Richmond to engage in this critical dialogue with our community.”

Landrieu will be visiting Richmond with his E Pluribus Unum initiative, which is bringing people together across the American South around issues of race, equity and economic opportunity.

“As Virginia honors the four hundredth anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans, the country must reckon with its tumultuous past and the institutional racism that shapes us today,” said former Mayor Landrieu. “Growing up in the South and having dealt with the issues of equity, poverty and violence in New Orleans, I strongly believe the time has come for America to have a national conversation about race. I’m honored to be coming to Richmond and excited to speak with Mayor Stoney about how our two cities can learn from each other as we seek to improve our communities.”

Landrieu and his team are traveling across the South with the goal of listening to local leaders and residents in order to learn about their concerns, hopes and efforts around the movement to create more equitable communities. They are convening community members in nearly a dozen cities and towns, visiting each state across the south to listen and learn, exploring how these issues are playing out in these communities and how local organizations are working together to address them. Following this phase E Pluribus Unum will develop programs and initiatives seeking to bring people of different races and backgrounds together around their shared values.

For more information about this mayor-to-mayor initiative, please contact Osita Iroegbu at Osita.Iroegbu@richmondgov.com or (804) 646-4336.

Mayor to Host Town Hall Meetings for Proposed FY2020 Budget

Mayor Levar M. Stoney will be hosting community town hall meetings over the coming weeks to discuss his proposed FY2020 budget. The mayor presented his fully balanced budget to Richmond City Council on Wednesday, March 6, which includes an investment of $18.5 million for Richmond Public Schools, $16.2 million for roads and sidewalks, $2.9 million for affordable housing, an additional $965,000 for increased GRTC service and $485,000 in funding for eviction diversion.

Click here to view the presentation shown at each meeting.

Below are the scheduled Town Hall meetings:

Tuesday, March 19
6:30 – 8 p.m.
East End
Woodville Elementary School
2000 N. 28^th St.

Thursday, March 21
7 – 8:30 p.m.
Southside
Southside Community Center6335 Old Warwick Rd.
Wednesday, March 27
6:30 – 8 p.m.
West End
Thomas Jefferson High School
4100 W. Grace St.

Tuesday, April 2
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Northside
Northside Family YMCA
4207 Old Brook Rd.

For more information, please contact Tameka Jefferson at Tameka.Jefferson@richmondgov.com or call (804) 646-6936.

Mayor’s FY 2020 Budget Makes Historic Investments in Schools and Streets

Fully balanced proposal provides an increase of $18.5 million for Richmond Public Schools, $16.2 million for roads and sidewalks, $2.9 million for affordable housing, additional $965,000 for increased GRTC service and $485,000 in funding for eviction diversion

Mayor Levar M. Stoney today unveiled a FY 2020 budget making bold investments to meet Richmond’s long-neglected needs in public education and neighborhoods to build a more inclusive, more competitive and more equitable city.

“This budget marks a new beginning,” Mayor Stoney stated. “With this budget we have the opportunity to invest in our children, our families and our neighborhoods to build the Richmond our residents deserve.”

The fully balanced budget proposal presented to Richmond City Council provides an additional $18.5 million to fully fund the Richmond Public Schools (RPS) strategic plan, Dreams4RPS, which includes the local match for recently passed state salary increases for teachers. The city’s Capital Improvement Program budget also fully funds eligible RPS maintenance needs of $19 million.

“There is no investment more important, or worthwhile, than the investment we make in our children,” said Mayor Stoney, addressing the nine members of council in council chambers. “Their future is our future.”

The mayor’s budget also provides an historic investment of $16.2 million toward streets and sidewalks.

“From Church Hill to Westhampton, from Worthington Farms to Providence Park, these investments will allow us to support our neighborhoods in an equitable and sustainable way, not just this year, but every year,” the mayor said.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this budget marks a new beginning,” Mayor Stoney continued. “With this budget, we have an opportunity to invest in our children, our families and our neighborhoods to build the city we all deserve.”

In addition to new investments in schools and streets, the mayor’s budget also includes funding for the following:

• $2.9 million dedicated to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
• An additional $965,000 to the Greater Richmond Transit Corporation for increased service and route frequency to those communities that need it the most
• $485,000 for Richmond’s Eviction Diversion Program, the first of its kind in the Commonwealth of Virginia
• Additional staffing for the Department of Citizen Service and Response and RVA311, to reduce wait times and provide a higher level of customer service to residents
• Continuation of planned step pay increases for police and firefighters, a raise in starting salaries for police officers to $43,000 and a cost of living adjustment for general city employees of 3 percent – the first increase of its kind in 15 years

The Capital Improvement Program budget of $96.9 million for Fiscal Year 2020, which begins July 1, makes a number of investments in city infrastructure, including:

• $10 million to restore bridges and thoroughfares and for pedestrian traffic safety initiatives that reduce accidents and save lives through the Vision Zero program
• Renovations to Powhatan and Southside Community Centers, and upgrades to Blackwell Playground and Chimborazo Park to enhance programming for youth and senior citizens 
• Full funding for RPS maintenance needs

Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Considerations:

A projected $12 million increase in revenue growth for the coming fiscal year barely covers the approximate $10 million increase in non-discretionary city expenditures and leaves limited funding to tackle any of the major, longstanding challenges faced by the city to make improvements to schools or neighborhoods. These needs, and costs, have only grown larger following years of deferred maintenance and delayed investment at the local and state levels following the recession.

The recession was preceded, in 2006 and 2007, by tax cuts that took the city’s real estate tax rate per $100 of assessed value from $1.29 to $1.20, where it has remained for the last 11 years. As far back as 15 years ago, this tax was $1.38; and 30 years ago, it was $1.53.

To address these core priorities, Mayor Stoney is proposing a restoration of the real estate tax rate to its pre-recession level of $1.29 per $100 of assessed value – the same rate it was in 2006. He is also proposing the City of Richmond impose its first ever tax on cigarettes of 50 cents per pack. These common sense and fiscally-responsible proposals will yield additional revenues of $21.1 and $3 million, respectively.

The resulting major investments in roads and streets will move Richmond out of the recurring cycle of playing “whack-a-mole” with potholes and help restore the city’s infrastructure after years of neglect.

The resulting significant investments in public education will better enable RPS to fund its vision to provide students with the pathways to success they deserve. This needed education investment includes:

• Funding to provide an equitable literacy plan to ensure all third graders read at their grade level
• Restructured English and math curricula
• An increase in the number of school counselors and nurses
• Improved performance of the RPS bus system
• Salary increases for teachers and support staff

Mayor Stoney made it clear he expects results from RPS – and a tangible return on the proposed investment by the city.  

“We will insist on accountability and commitment by the school board to produce an annual RPS scorecard tracking progress and performance, as well as a date certain to deliver their city school rezoning plan,” the mayor said. “No excuses.”

Mayor Stoney said the budget he is proposing is not “the easy thing to do. But it certainly is the right thing to do. It is designed to build on our successes while addressing years of deferred maintenance and delayed investment in our city.

In his speech, the mayor referenced the great American poet Langston Hughes, who wrote that a dream deferred is a dream denied.

“Whether it’s the dream of strong and thriving neighborhoods – or the Dreams 4 RPS strategic plan – we cannot allow these dreams to be deferred OR denied any longer.”

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NOTE: Following the budget presentation, Richmond City Council will commence its review process, which will include a series of public hearings and presentations by city department heads. Council is required to pass a balanced budget by the end of May. For more information and a schedule of council hearings, please visit the Richmond City Council webpage.

The City of Richmond FY 2020 budget can be found here.

Read Mayor Stoney’s budget remarks here.

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