Mayor Projects $30 Million Shortfall for Fiscal Year 2011 Budget during Special Meeting

Mayor Jones/Richmond City Council Joint Meeting to Discuss FY 2010-11 Budget - Jan. 11, 2010 from Silver Persinger.

Two More Department Directors Named Today - Procurement & IT

Press Release from Mayor Dwight Jones' office:

Monday, December 21, 2009

New Procurement Director Named

RICHMOND, VA - Cheryl Wright has been named Director of the city’s Department of Procurement Service. Wright possesses more than 18 years experience in leading procurement and diversity programs with numerous governmental entities throughout Chicago, Illinois. Most recently, she worked as a Business Development Procurement Consultant for the U.S. Department of Commerce in Charlotte, NC, providing business development for the Minority Business Development Agency. Wright had previously served as Chief Procurement Officer for the Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago, IL; Director of Purchasing for the Chicago Park District, Chicago, IL; Manager of Contract Administration for Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL; and Senior Contract Compliance Officer for the city of Chicago, IL. She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree from Purdue University’s School of Technology and a Masters in Project Management from Keller Graduate School in Chicago, Illinois.

Information Technology Acting Director Made Permanent

Annette Flowers has been named Director of the city’s Department of Information Technology (DIT). She previously served as DIT Manager for the Applications Solutions Division for the city of Richmond and other various technology roles over the past 27 years. As director, she will oversee all technology resources and agency employees. Her responsibilities include technology planning, maintaining business operations, and managing technology services for all city agencies. Flowers obtained an Information Technology Networking degree from the University of Phoenix. Her professional memberships include: Project Management Institute (PMI) and Virginia Association of Local Government IT Executives (VALGITE). Flowers had been serving as the city’s Acting Director of Information Technology since October of 2008.

"We welcome these two additions to the leadership team of the city of Richmond. Both individuals bring a wealth of knowledge and experience that will benefit the city and enhance our management efforts," said Chief Administrative Officer Byron C. Marshall.


Tammy D. Hawley
Press Secretary to the Mayor
Office: 804-646-3110
tammy.hawley@richmondgov.com

Chapman on Economic Development & Community Development Department Reorganization

Opening of Governmental Operations - Nov. 30, 2009 - Citizen Comment & Supporting Vo-Tech from Silver Persinger.

Chapman Speaks Language of Efficient Bureaucrat - Nov. 3, 2009 from Silver Persinger.

On Monday, November 30, Peter Chapman, Deputy CAO for Economic and Community Development spoke to the Governmental Operations Committee about four ordinances related to the restructuring/combination of the Department of Community Development with the Department of Economic Development.

Jim Duval, City Debt Manager on Recovery Zone Bonds & the Rest of the Meeting - Nov. 30, 2009 from Silver Persinger.

Mayor Jones Announces new Deputy CAO of Social Services and Two Directors

Mayor Dwight Jones' executive team is now complete with the appointment of Carolyn N. Graham, lately of Washington, DC, to the position of Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Human Services.

Mayor Jones also apointed Doris D. Moseley to the position of Director of Richmond City Department of Social Services, and Charles J. Kehoe, Superintendent of the Richmond Juvenile Detention Center, has been appointed Director of the Department of Justice Services, replacing Doris Moseley.

Learn more about the individuals by reading the Mayor's Press Release.

Read a corrective press release issued three days later which corrects misinformation in the initial press release about Ms. Graham's educational background.

Mayor Jones speaks to 6th District Saturday, March 14, 2009

Mayor Dwight C. Jones addressed citizens of the 6th district at Ellen Robertson's monthly town hall meeting held on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at the Bank of America building in downtown Richmond, Virginia.

With introductory comments Vice President Ellen Robertson explained her new meeting schedule for the 6th District. In addition to her regular monthly meeting at the Bank of America Building (Second Saturday of each month), since January she has been holding additional district meetings, that alternate monthly between the North and South Sides. The focus of the Southside meetings is improving education for children. The Northside meetings will emphasize the issues of housing, abandoned property, blight and illegal rooming houses.

At 6:00 minutes, Mayor Jones took the podium and opened with a prayer. Mayor Jones referred to Mrs. Robertson as "an energizer bunny" that "is handling the business." Mayor Jones said "City Council meetings are not fun. They take a lot of time." Mayor Jones recalled Mrs. Robertson's early support for him as a mayoral candidate, "When things were not going so well during the last four years, she was one of the first ones who came and said, We gotta do something and you oughta be the one to do it."

Mayor Jones repeated the mantra of his administration, "Collaboration, communication, and cooperation." The mayor said a vast majority of the city's 4,000 employees are "good, competent people who want to do a good job." Mayor Jones said he wanted employees, as well as City Council and the School Board, to know that they are valued.

At 9:00 minutes, Mayor Jones spoke about the Dove Court development and cited goals of decentralizing poverty and acknowledging "our need and responsibility to those who need affordable housing." At 10:00 minutes, Mayor Jones discussed his decision to drop the appeals filed by former Mayor Douglas Wilder which had cost the city $1.2 million dollars over the last couple of years. Mayor Jones expressed his hope that the Charter Review Commission would iron out any ambiguities that currently exist in the charter.

Then Mayor Jones repeated his goal of establishing a Tripe A bond rating for the City of Richmond to dispel "the perception of being inept and improperly managed."

At 14:00 minutes, Mayor Jones said that he had "inherited the need for a new city jail." The current city jail has a designed capacity for 800 but it currently holds 1500 prisoners. Mayor Jones said, "I'm not going to accept the projections of a jail that's so huge, that what we'll do is just keep on filling up the beds... I refuse to build a jail that is so huge." "We're going to find a way to handle the mentally ill by not sending them to jail, that's not where they belong." Mayor Jones also mentioned alternatives for non-violent offenders (ie. non-payment of child support, traffic violations) such as ankle bracelets as a means of saving money.

At 17:15, Mayor Jones spoke again about the need for regional cooperation. Mayor Jones told us he had been participating in regional meetings and working with county managers and supervisors. Working with Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, Hopewell, and Petersburg.

[18:30] Mayor Jones discussed working with the City Auditor to implement suggestions made by the auditor, and his support for implementing the recommendations of the City Master Plan.

At 20:00, Mayor Jones got a question about affordable housing. Mayor Jones responded, "We don't [want to] replace these depositories or concentrations of poverty with other concentrations of poverty." "The plan is to spread affordable housing out," mixing affordable housing with market rate housing. "Our goal is to make sure that we have affordable housing but that you don't know where it is."

The mayor's comments wrap up around 24:00 minutes, followed by four more minutes of Vice President Ellen Robertson. Mrs. Robertson said we would be seeing more in the way of regional cooperation because of Mayor Jones' initiative in working with other local governments. She also talked about the mayor appointing her to the Regional Workforce Commission and the previous way workforce development had been handled in the past with Richmond receiving just over a million dollars a year and the 8 surrounding counties collectively receiving about half a million dollars.

Mayor Dwight Jones sworn-in Dec. 31, 2008

Here is a video of the complete swearing-in of Mayor Dwight Jones. According to the Times-Dispatch [01/01/08] it had initially been planned to be "invitation-only" and held in the Clerk's office. Instead it was moved to the Council Chambers and opened to the public. Following the swearing in, Mayor Jones took five minutes of questions from the assembled newspaper and television reporters. The mayor reiterated his support for a 1.5% increase in the Cost of Living Allowance [COLA] for retired City employees.

The ceremony was attended by friends, family, and supporters of Mayor Jones and Congressman Robert "Bobby" Scott, Virginia Senator Henry Marsh, Virginia Delegates Frank Hall, Kenneth Alexander, and Jennifer McClellan.  Ellen Robertson was the only member of Richmond City Council to be present. The oath was administered by Judge Marilyn C. Goss, 13th Judicial District-Richmond, Virginia.

Public or Private: Richmond Mayor Elect Dwight Jones Gets Personal

I called the Richmond City Clerk's office about two weeks ago to ask about Mayor Elect Dwight Clinton Jones' swearing in. Though the Clerk's office was not organizing the event, Mrs. Sears-Thomas offered that they had heard that it would be held on December 31 but that it would be a "private" event. The Times Dispatch reported the private swearing ceremony on Dec. 9, 2008.

At the time, it struck me as unusual that the swearing in of an elected public official would be a private ceremony. I paid it little mind and thought it would get straightened out in time for the actual event. I called the Clerk's office again today [4:49 PM] to see if they could provide any additional information regarding the swearing in. The clerk's office told me that there would be a public swearing in on Jan. 10. I asked, "What about the swearing in tomorrow?" and Ms. Craighead responded that it was going to be "private." I asked, "Isn't that unusual?" She responded she wasn't sure because this would be her first time going through the process. She offered to give me the number of the Mayor Elect's transition team.

I called the number she provided at 4:51 PM, and it was answered by Margaret Pugh who is serving on the transition team. I asked about the swearing in and she told me about the event on January 10. I asked, "What about the swearing in tomorrow?" To which Ms. Pugh responded that was "more of a personal type of event." I was shocked and said that it was unusual for a publicly elected official to have a private swearing in. I asked if the Press would be permitted to attend because I would be much more interested in reporting the event than criticizing it as being closed to the public. I left my name and number and Ms. Pugh said she would talk with the Mayor Elect's assistant.

Could this be a sign of another secretive and privileged administration? Can you imagine if President Elect Obama proposed holding a private swearing in ceremony? Why not hold the mayoral inauguration in Council Chambers in conjunction with Council's ceremonies on Friday, January 2, 2008 at 10 AM? What better way to demonstrate a willingness to work hand in hand with the Council?