RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) - From the pews of Saint Paul's Episcopal church, to a packed City Council chambers.
Mayor Dwight Jones gets a standing ovation as he's sworn into a second term.
“Thank you for the confidence you have shown in me and my administration.”
Jones is the first to do so since the City of Richmond moved to a popularly elected Mayor in 2004.
"I recognize that I've known from the beginning that we are involved in a marathon, not a sprint. Our mantra has been that we're going to build a better Richmond. And I’ve decided that I’m keeping that mantra going forward. But I am making a slight adjustment to that mantra for this second term. We are building the best Richmond,” said Dwight C. Jones, Richmond Mayor.
In his public address, the 64-year-old Baptist minister pointed to his accomplishments, like opening two new elementary schools with two more on the way, securing the Washington Redskins' summer training camp, building a new city jail, and his plan to overhaul Richmond's public housing.
"I believe with all that I am. That the stars are aligned,” Jones adds, “that the people are in place and the only thing that will stop us from achieving our dreams is our unwillingness to go forward."
But Mayor Jones has been criticized for not being visible during Hurricane Irene and problems within the city's department of Social Services.
There's also been speculation over whether or not Police Chief Bryan Norwood will keep his job.
Norwood is one of three finalists for the Chief's position in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Reporter: "Are you planning to make any changes within your administration? "Ah, there may be some tweaks."
Sandra asked Mayor Jones does that mean replacing Chief Norwood?
Reporter: "Do you think there should be new leadership there? There may be some tweaks."
Reporter: "If the Chief leaves would you consider hiring from within or would you do a nationwide search? There may be some tweaks."
And while the consensus among City Council members is that Chief Norwood has made a huge impact in Richmond, they believe that will go a long way someplace else.
"There is a school of thought that suggests from time to time, you should go out and interview. And if that’s what this is, great. If it's something he's truly interested in and he gets the job, I think it's going to be to Raleigh's benefit,” said 2ND District City Councilman Charles Samuels.
Charles Samuels and other City Council members tell CBS 6, they look forward to working with the Mayor and his administration as they enter another tough budget year.
Mayor Jones will outline his future goals in his State of the City address on January 29th.
