Statement from Mayor Levar M. Stoney on Resignation of Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring

“Mike Herring has been an outstanding Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Richmond who has served the residents of our city with dedication and distinction for 13 years.

Mike’s keen and progressive legal mind, fairness and commitment to justice, both inside and outside the courtroom, has made Richmond a safer and more equitable place to live.

We will miss Commonwealth’s Attorney Herring’s steady and principled leadership in this critical law enforcement role, and I join the residents of the City of Richmond in honoring his public service and in wishing him well in the next chapter of his professional life.”

Mayor Stoney Announces Dates for 2019 Community Office Hours

Continuing his commitment to public engagement with residents in every part of the City of Richmond, Mayor Levar M. Stoney is pleased to announce the following dates for Community Office Hours to be held in all nine council districts:

If you have any need for language access accommodations like CART services, an assisted hearing device, a sign language interpreter, or other language interpreters, please send an email to RVAMayor@richmondgov.com or call the Office of the Mayor at (804) 646-7970 at least 5 business days before the event in your district.

Mayor Levar M. Stoney Statement on Passage of FY 2020 Budget

“I applaud city council for its vote tonight to fully fund our proposed investments in schools and neighborhoods, and for preserving our increased funding priorities for affordable housing, transit access and eviction diversion.

“These investments in our future represent yet another step toward the equitable, inclusive and competitive city we are becoming for ALL Richmond residents.”

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.”