Levar Stoney

Levar Marcus Stoney (born March 20, 1981) is an American politician who has served as the 80th mayor of Richmond, Virginia since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 through 2016, being the youngest member of Governor Terry McAuliffe's administration.

Stoney is a candidate for lieutenant governor of Virginia in the 2025 elections.

Early and personal life
Stoney was born on Roosevelt, Long Island, New York. When he was seven years old, he moved with his younger brother to Virginia's Hampton Roads area. His parents never married; Stoney and his siblings were raised by their father (who supported the family via various low-wage jobs, and eventually became a high school janitor) and grandmother (a retired domestic worker).

At Tabb High School in Tabb, Virginia, Stoney became quarterback on the school's football team, and also president of the student body (as he had in elementary and middle school). Stoney graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 2004. He was the first African-American male elected president of the student government, and involved with the school's chapter of the College Democrats.

In 2016, Stoney divorced his wife of four years. He became engaged to Brandy Washington, a manager for Altria on February 22, 2022. They married almost exactly a year later, on February 23, 2023. Their daughter Sunday Washington Stoney was born in March 2024.

Career


In the summer of 2004, Stoney served as a Governor's Fellow in Mark Warner's administration. Stoney then worked as an organizer in John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign as well as for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in a get out the vote effort. Five of his colleagues were later charged with slashing the tires of a van meant to be used to drive Republican voters to the polls. Stoney initially lied to police claiming he had no knowledge about the incident. He later admitted to FBI investigators that he was present in the Democratic campaign offices after his colleagues came in to brag about slashing the tires. Stoney then went on to testify against his colleagues and fully cooperated with law enforcement. After questioning during a committee meeting with Virginia Republican lawmakers about his indiscretion, it was accepted as "an isolated, youthful mistake."

During the 2005 Virginia Attorney General election Stoney worked for Creigh Deeds, who narrowly lost. Stoney then worked for the Democratic Party of Virginia from 2006 to 2009, first as political director and then executive director. In this role, he worked extensively with President Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign.

In 2011, after losing his father, who (with his grandmother) had supported his political involvement (and after Creigh Deeds lost the 2009 Virginia gubernatorial race to Republican Bob McDonnell), Stoney began working as a consultant at Green Tech, an automotive company run by Terry McAuliffe (who had lost to Deeds in the 2009 Democratic gubernatorial primary). The following year Stoney began working with McAuliffe's 2013 gubernatorial campaign, as deputy campaign manager, under campaign manager Robby Mook. When McAuliffe won, Stoney became deputy director of the gubernatorial transition team, during which McAuliffe described Stoney as his "closest adviser."

Secretary of the Commonwealth


McAuliffe appointed Stoney as Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia on November 18, 2013. Following confirmation by the Virginia General Assembly, he took office on January 17, 2014.

As Secretary of the Commonwealth, Stoney championed efforts for the restoration of voting rights for felons who have completed their sentences, an effort begun under Governor Bob McDonnell and accelerated under Governor McAuliffe. Stoney said that "once you have served your time and paid your due, we still should not be punishing you years afterwards. Instead, we should find ways to give that individual an opportunity to better themselves and to contribute to society."

Mayor of Richmond


Dwight Clinton Jones could not run for re-election as Mayor of Richmond because of a two-term limit. Stoney became a candidate in the 2016 election to succeed him, announcing his candidacy after resigning as Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Stoney won the election over Jack Berry, 36% to 34%, with Joe Morrissey in third place. Shortly after the election, Mayor-elect Stoney named Tiffany Jana and Bill Leighty as co-chairs of his transition team, with University of Richmond professor Thad Williamson named as director.

Stoney was sworn into office on December 31, 2016. At 35 years of age, he became Richmond's youngest elected mayor. In March 2019 Mayor Stoney proposed a nine-cent per $100 assessed value real estate tax hike. He also proposed adding a 50-cent tax on packages of cigarettes.

In 2021, Stoney proclaimed April 17 as "Giles B. Jackson Day" for all of Giles B. Jackson's accomplishments, and it was awarded on the 150th anniversary of the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood.

In January 2022, Stoney was elected as President of the Democratic Mayors Alliance, a national Democratic Party coalition dedicated to electing Democratic Mayors. Stoney thus serves as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Stoney was previously on the board of the organization, and filled the vacancy left by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, whom President Joe Biden has nominated to serve as Ambassador to India.

Appointments as Mayor

Interim Chief of Police for RPD: On July 19, 2023, Mayor Stoney appointed Richard Edwards as Chief of Police in Richmond, following the retirement of Gerald Smith in October 2022. Richard Edwards spent the better part of two decades with the RPD, largely focused on criminal investigations and the reduction of crime in the RPD.

Director for Human Resources: Stoney appointed the previous interim director of human resources, Mona Adkins-Easley, to Director of Richmond's Department of Human Resources in May 2021. A little over 18 months later, in October 2022, Mona announced her resignation from the position by the end of 2022, according to ABC 8 News Richmond.

DCAO for Economic and Community Development, Director of Housing and Community Development, Director of Community Wealth Building: As of March 22, 2019. Levar Stoney has filled these three executive positions with three professionals. Sharon Ebert is filling the role of Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic and Community Development; Douglas Dunlap was named the Director of Housing and Community Development; Valaryee Mitchell was named interim director of the Office of Community Wealth.

Local Education

In his effort to support the Richmond Public School System, Levar Stoney was able to pass the “Pathways Program” which will pay for any Richmond Public School student's tuition at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College beginning in the fall of 2023. Additionally, the Stoney Administration was able to increase local contributions to the public school system by 46.1% since the 2017 fiscal year while also investing in the Positive Youth Development & Youth Violence Prevention Fund for 12-19 year olds in the area.

Casino Project

Mayor Stoney backed the proposal to build the Richmond Grand Resort and Casino, with the developers spending nearly $10 million on the campaign. The proposal would have brought about 1,300 jobs to the city along with the $562 million casino. The development was voted on in 2021, but was narrowly rejected by the electorate. The same proposal was also featured on the 2023 referendum ballot, but the voters of Richmond rejected the proposal, with a difference of 15,000 votes between those opposed and supportive of the casino development.

2023-2024 City Budget

Levar Stoney proposed a new $3 billion budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. This comes from listening to the public in order to make the government more effective and efficient. Under this new proposal, many city employees will be receiving pay raises. Non-sworn in employees will be receiving an 8% salary increase. Stoney's goal is for no hourly-paid employee that works directly for the government will be paid less than $18 per hour. $21.1 million will also be allocated to public schools and $50 million will be allocated towards affordable housing over a five-year time period. Residents will be receiving an $8.86 per month increase in utilities. $3.79 more for gas, $1.30 more for water, $3.38 more on wastewater, and 39 cents more on stormwater costs.

Tear-gassing incident
In June 2020, in response to the murder of George Floyd, a protest assembled in Richmond at the Robert E. Lee Statue on Monument Avenue. Police responded by tear gassing the crowd before curfew and without warning. The response was widespread in its criticism of law enforcement officers and local government, including Stoney. The police initially issued a statement defending their use of tear gas, stating: "To our peaceful protestors: We are sorry we had to deploy gas near the Lee Monument. Some RPD officers in that area were cut off by violent protestors. The gas was necessary to get them to safety." However, after video footage from several people at the protests was released which contradicted the police's statement showing no signs of violence, the police responded with a tweet apologizing for tear gassing the crowd of peaceful protesters, stating that the chief of police "apologizes for this unwarranted action. These officers have been pulled from the field. They will be disciplined because their actions were outside dept protocols and directions given." Stoney responded by showing up to another protest, apologizing to the crowd for violating their rights.

Removal of Richmond's Confederate Statues

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, initiated the prompt removal of Confederate statues located on city land. The decision came as a response to ongoing protests against police brutality and racial injustice, with Stoney citing two primary reasons for the immediate action. Firstly, he emphasized the pressing public safety concerns posed by the potential spread of COVID-19 during protests and attempts by demonstrators to remove statues independently. Stoney argued that the risk of serious illness, injury, or death necessitated urgent protective measures. Secondly, the mayor asserted that swift removal would accelerate the healing process for Richmond, a city burdened by its legacy as the former capital of the Confederacy. Stoney highlighted the need to move beyond the symbolic weight of Confederate monuments and actively address racial injustices ingrained in the city's history. The removal process, initiated in July 2020, involved the dismantling of multiple Confederate statues, including those of General Stonewall Jackson, Matthew Fontaine Maury, and Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. Legal challenges were overcome, allowing the city to proceed with the removals.

2025 elections
In December 2023, Stoney announced that he would run for governor of Virginia in the 2025 election. He suspended his campaign for governor in April 2024 and announced that he would instead run for lieutenant governor of Virginia instead.