Mayor Stoney Honored as 2019 “OUTstanding Virginian”

Mayor Levar M. Stoney on Saturday was named an “OUTstanding Virginian” by Equality Virginia for his advocacy, outreach and progressive policies to champion equality for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The mayor was among eight honorees who were recognized Saturday night at Equality Virginia’s 2019 annual dinner.

“Every day we work to make the City of Richmond a welcoming, inclusive and equitable place to live, work and play,” the mayor said. “I am humbled and honored to accept this award from Equality Virginia and grateful for the many contributions of the LGBTQ+ community to building One Richmond.”

Under Mayor Stoney, the city raised its Municipal Equality Index (MEI) score from a 42 to a 94 in 2018 – making it the highest MEI score in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Additionally, Richmond was named an MEI All-Star by the Human Rights Campaign for being a city boldly leading the way toward LGBTQ+ equality. The key items that made the score increase possible were:

• Passage of the Human Rights Commission and non-discrimination laws, which protect Richmonders from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, age, economic status, sex, disability, religion, and sexual orientation and gender identity
• Providing transgender-inclusive health benefits for city employees
• Establishing an LGBTQ+ liaison in the Mayor’s Office

Mayor Stoney’s first official act after taking office was to officiate a same-sex marriage. Last year, during LGBTQ Pride Week in Richmond he raised the Pride flag, signifying that ALL are welcome in the City of Richmond. He also installed Virginia Pride artwork by artist Jumper Maybach in his front office.

Later this year, Richmond will host the Diversity Sports Jubilee, a multisport tournament featuring LGBTQ+ athletes from around the world.

To view the Equality Virginia video of Mayor Stoney, click here.

For more information on Equality Virginia, please contact Vee Lamneck, Deputy Director at vlamneck@equalityvirginia.org or call (804) 643 – 4816.

Shockoe Alliance to Hold First Community Meeting April 15

During his State of the City Address, Mayor Levar M. Stoney announced the creation of the Shockoe Alliance, a group of city staff, preservation experts and community members focused on ensuring a collaborative approach to initiatives of cultural and historical significance in the Shockoe Bottom area.

The Shockoe Alliance will hold its first community meeting at 6 p.m. on April 15, 2019 at Main Street Station, 1500 E. Main St.

Shockoe Bottom, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, was originally inhabited by Native Americans before being colonized by English settlers and later turned into the country’s second largest center for the selling and buying of enslaved Africans.  

The Shockoe Alliance is charged with guiding the design and implementation of concepts and recommendations for the future of Shockoe with the goal of creating an innovative space of memorialization, learning and transformation – all while protecting the area’s cultural and historic heritage.

“The Shockoe Alliance will help to determine the larger, shared vision for Shockoe Bottom that connects current and future historical, cultural and economic development initiatives,” said Mayor Stoney. “We want to ensure that a diversity of stakeholders are a part of the collective process of determining how to most appropriately commemorate the significant history of this area, preserve treasured historic resources and promote equitable opportunities for growth and sustainability.”

In addition to key city offices and departments, the Shockoe Alliance includes representatives from the Rose Center for Public Leadership’s Rose Fellows, the Slave Trail Commission, Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, Preservation Virginia, Shockoe Neighborhood Association and Shockoe Business Association. The group will work closely with the newly-formed History and Culture Commission in its recommendations and implementation of plans for the area.

Mayor Levar Stoney Statement on Video Involving Richmond Police Department Officer

Mayor Levar Stoney released the following statement on video involving Richmond Police Officer:

“This type of behavior will not be tolerated by any employee of the City of Richmond. I trust that the Richmond Police Department will conduct a quick and thorough investigation and respond accordingly. 

“This behavior is unacceptable. It reinforces stereotypes of our communities that are hurtful and damages the relationship between our police department and the citizens they are charged to serve.”

Statement from the Joint Construction Team Regarding the Costs of the New Mason Elementary School, Greene Elementary School and the New Middle School on Hull Street to be Named Later

The Facilities Plan adopted by the Richmond City School Board in December of 2017 including the following estimates for new school construction:

    •    George Mason Elementary School:          $25 million
    •    E.S.H. Greene Elementary School:          $35 million
    •    New Middle School on Hull Street:           $50 million


These estimates have been updated now that the procurement process for the design and construction of all three schools has concluded:

    •    George Mason Elementary School:          $36 million
    •    E.S.H. Greene Elementary School:          $42 million
    •    New Middle School on Hull Street:           $62 million

It is now clear the initial estimates, provided in 2017, under-represented the true cost of construction. Both RPS and the city had concerns this might be the case, which is why both entities discussed engaging a third party to evaluate the costs of rebuilding and/or renovating all RPS schools. The RPS administration brought this proposal to the school board on September 4, 2018 (see screen shot below). The cost of such an evaluation was initially estimated at $100,000, to be split evenly between the city and RPS. Upon further investigation, it was found the price would actually be closer to $200,000, or more. Given the higher cost, the school board decided not to proceed.






Not only were the initial cost estimates low, they also did not take into account the following:
    •    Construction costs have increased significantly over the past two years.
    •    The size of Greene Elementary School has been expanded from 650 students to 750 students.
    •    Per the policy adopted by the Richmond City Council (Res. 2015-R8-15), all schools must be LEED Silver certified, which adds significant expense.
    •    The current estimates include a 2% contingency, which if not necessary, will go unspent.

Background on the Joint Construction Team

After the passage of the meals tax last year, the City of Richmond and Richmond Public Schools agreed to develop a joint body, the Joint Construction Team (JCT), to manage the process of building new schools. This group includes the CAO, the mayor’s chief of staff, the superintendent, the RPS board chair and other representatives from each agency. The JCT meets weekly for one hour and only proceeds on key decisions when both parties agree. JCT representatives provide monthly updates to the school board and minutes from all JCT meetings are uploaded to RPS “Board Docs.”

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.