RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Revisiting some of his highlights over the last seven years, Richmond mayor Levar Stoney gave his final State of the City address in front of a packed room at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Stoney spend much of his 40-minute speech talking about education in Richmond, saying that, over the course of his two terms, the city has increased teachers’ pay by $12,000 a year each and allocated around $200 for new schools.
“We increased funding for [Richmond Public Schools] by almost 50%,” Stoney said during the speech. “The city provides almost three times more funding than the state requires. We do this because the state hasn’t stepped up, and we refuse to let our kids suffer because of it.”
Stoney also highlighted the city’s effort to reduce violent crime, which has gone down by 22% since 2017, the year he became mayor.
“As Chief Edwards just recently reported, last year we saw a 7 percent reduction in violent crime, a 26 percent reduction in non-fatal shootings, an 11 percent reduction in traffic fatalities, and a 75 percent reduction in youth homicides,” said Stoney.
Stoney also mentioned his administration’s progress in other areas, including improving roads, beefing up the city’s financial portfolio and increasing the amount of affordable housing. He also said that he will never forget July 1, 2020, when he ordered the removal of Confederate statues across the city.
“Those statues had to come down,” Stoney said. “And they did, swiftly and without apology.”
Stoney said that some may have wrongly judged his administration for some of its failures rather than their accomplishments, specifically his support for a casino bid that failed — twice.
“That unfortunately didn’t work,” said Stoney about the efforts to bring a casino to the Richmond area. “But folks, I had to try.”
Stoney said that, as he takes the next steps in his political career, the future of Richmond is bright.
“I am proud to have helped rewrite Richmond’s story,” said Stoney. “I am proud to have done it with all of you by my side. It has been the greatest honor of my life.”
