Mayor-elect Danny Avula shares his vision for Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Mayor-elect Danny Avula held a joint press conference Wednesday afternoon at Richmond City Hall where they made post-Election Day statements and answered questions. Scroll for a transcript of the event.

Mayor Levar Stoney

Well, good afternoon, everyone. Well, today is the day after Election Day, and I just had a meeting with the mayor-elect, Dr. Danny Avula with a good conversation about the future of the great city of Richmond.

Last night, a number of Richmonders made a decision to elect our next mayor.

And what I've pledged to Dr. Avula is that I'm going to do everything I can to ensure that he and his administration hit the ground running on January 1.

We want to ensure that it's a streamlined transition process, something that we've never seen before here in the City of Richmond, that ensures that he and his team are prepared to lead this city into its next chapter.

I will continue to obviously cheer on the great City of Richmond when I am a private citizen, but also I want folks to know that I will continue to cheer on my friend Dr. Avula because I recognize, the city recognizes, and the employees here at City Hall recognize that his success is the city's success.

I also recognize that the result in the presidential race did not go the way that we wanted to, in some cases last night. But this is a bright spot for us here in the capital city to elect a leader that will write the next chapter of our city, and we cannot be prouder to have a person who has a proven record of leadership here in city, here in the region, here for the Commonwealth, and the person who won last night, Dr. Danny Avula.

Watch: Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and Mayor-elect Danny Avula answer post-Election Day questions

Dr. Danny Avula

Good afternoon, friends! Very excited to be here. Thank you all so much.

I just want to thank Mayor Stoney.

You know, after I talked to my wife and kids this morning, my first conversation of the day was with Mayor Stoney.

He called early this morning to congratulate but also to just share his desire and his heart for a really helpful transition, and so we've spent most of the last hour together just doing the beginning of that, and I'm sure that will not be the last conversation we have.

But very grateful to Mayor Stoney for his partnership and for his friendship in working together over the years for the good of the city, and what that will mean for this transition.

I've already spoken a lot to our local and regional and state elected officials, and I'll speak more to them clearly in the in the upcoming days and weeks.

I want to say congratulations to all of the folks who went through Election Day yesterday, new city council, new school board. Very, very excited to work with those bodies moving forward for the good of our city.

Almost everybody I've talked to in the last 24 hours have expressed such an amazing willingness to work together to do whatever they absolutely can to protect the rights and freedoms of Richmonders. And so I'm really looking forward to partnering with them in that effort.

As the mayor mentioned, the results of the national election have set a certain tone for us, and I think many of us are concerned, justifiably, about what that means for our city moving forward. And I think for many members of our community, there are real dangers that are posed by that. Members of our LGBTQ+ community, our Black and brown and immigrant families, for working families, there's a lot of concerns about what the shifts at the national level mean for us.

But I think as Mayor Stoney has so steadfastly been committed to during his time in office, and what I will absolutely be committed to is protecting the people of Richmond and fighting for justice and equity in everything that we do as a city moving forward.

And I'm really thankful for the team that he has built. I'm thankful for the culture of the city. I'm thankful for so many community advocates, our partners in the General Assembly, so many amazing public servants here in City Hall, as I mentioned, our city council and our school board, so many people that we will do this work of advancing Richmond with. And I'm very excited about that.

It's going to take all of us, but together, we will build a Richmond where everybody's rights are protected, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, and where nobody gets left behind.

In the coming days, we'll put together our transition team. We'll be releasing those details very soon, but now it is time to get to work, and so very thankful that you all are here and happy to answer any questions that you have for either me or Mayor Stoney.

Reporter Sabrina Moreno - Axios

So early data shows that about 54% of voters cast a ballot for somebody else. And so I'm curious, what's your plan to convince those people that you're the best person for this job?

Dr. Danny Avula

You mean somebody else in the mayor's race? Yeah, you know, in a five-way race, that's going to happen, and I think that it just reflects the vast diversity of our city. And I think the reality is that whether somebody cast a vote for me or not, I am absolutely going to be a mayor for all people of Richmond.

And so the work moving forward is, is making sure that people feel that, making sure that get out into the community, that I connect with people that are in all parts of our city, and that I continue to just share the message that resonated with the other percent of folks who did vote me into this office, that I really am here for the thriving of all people of Richmond.

I think it happens through consistency, that happens through showing up, and it happens through the trust-building that I'll engage in starting today.

Reporter Graham Moomaw - The Richmonder

What are some things that you think your campaign did well that led you to be the person standing here today instead of one of your opponents?

Dr. Danny Avula

I think our message really resonated with so many different kinds of Richmonders.

I mean, I think when you look at not only the breadth of districts that we won, but also the support that came from all parts of the city, I think the idea of both working for the thriving of everybody, making sure that nobody gets left behind, and I think my track record, having served as health director here for many years, having played different roles leading large and complex organizations, I think that gave people a sense of confidence that, okay, here's a leader who both understands us and our values, but also will step in and continue the good work of the city of Richmond moving forward.

Reporter Keyris Manzanares - VPM

You've said the first order of business will be to find a new CAO. What would that ideal candidate look like for you and do you already have someone in mind?

Dr. Danny Avula

I don't have anyone in mind.

I've been very committed to starting a national search for the CAO.

As soon as we get this transition team together, in the coming hours and days, we're going to look at what is the process. how much of that could we do prior to taking office in January? How much can we get started on that now?

And I think it is somebody who both understands the challenges of leading a large and complex administration, especially in the context of a real shifting national landscape, right?

I mean, I think the reality of what's happening at the federal level will mean changes in the funding that may be coming to us.

It will mean us needing to work more closely than ever with the state and with our federal partners to make sure that we're drawing resources into the city and so ideally a candidate who has experience doing that, and then really shares my vision and the vision of the administration to make sure that we are fighting for all of the people of Richmond, and especially the most vulnerable and marginalized.

Reporter Madison McNamee - NBC12

Can you talk a little bit more about the conversation you guys had just before this? I mean, what were some of the advice that Mayor Stoney was able to give you? What are some things that you're going to be doing after that conversation?

Dr. Danny Avula

Yeah, you know, I mean, we're not starting from scratch. We've done a lot of work together. We have managed through crisis together. You know, even this, this feels real familiar we did this week in, week out, for months on end during COVID.

And so we have a relationship that we've built off of, Mayor Stoney really taking the opportunity to share in the early days of him coming in, you know, how to how to build that transition team, how to prioritize, you know, the right kinds of talent in giving advice and helping map out a direction moving forward.

And you know, really, to think about how you're digesting information and where you're pulling in the best ideas from.

He has been amazing about being connected to a national network of mayors and leaders and bringing those ideas to Richmond.

And so I'll continue to rely on Mayor Stoney, far beyond this transition.

Reporter Samuel B. Parker - Richmond Times-Dispatch

Can you talk about setting a tone sort of in the face of a Governor's office and a federal government that is probably at odds with what you want to do and want to see? How specifically can you do that?

Dr. Danny Avula

Yeah, Samuel, I think that it starts with relationship, right? I mean, I think that we've got to build out our relationship. And thankfully, having worked in the administration and having worked with our General Assembly for most of the last three years, I have a lot of those relationships to lean on.

But it also means being really clear about who we are as a city, what our values are as a city, who we're going to fight for and protect, and the people of Richmond and then working that out in the context of the relationships we have with the administration and General Assembly.

I'm fully confident that there are many people working at the state level who want what we want for Richmond and who will be really valuable partners to us moving forward.

Reporter Jonathan Spiers - Richmond BizSense

You said that you were so thankful for the team that Mayor Stoney has built but you're also saying you're committed to a national search for a new CEO. Do you anticipate keeping the current top administrator?

Dr. Danny Avula

Yeah, you know, I think there's been a lot of conversation about the CAO role, and I think we've got to do our best job, both to see what kind of talent we can attract to the city and who's going to be the best fit for the next chapter of Richmond's life.

So we're going to start that process, as I said, depending on conversations with HR and the details of how we can start that process, what happens before January 1 and what has to start after January 1, and then we'll open up a national search to again, make sure we have the best talent possible for the city.

Reporter Tyler Layne - CBS 6

Question for Mayor Stoney. I know that you declined to make an endorsement or disclose who you voted for, but I was just curious whether this is the outcome you expected or rooted for?

Mayor Levar Stoney

I don't think who I voted for or what the outcome I expected matters.

What matters most is that the people of the City of Richmond chose an individual who I think can handle and is more than capable of handling this job and also writing the next chapter of the city.

And so he has my 100% support.

I'd be willing to do anything I can to ensure that, like I said, he and his administration can hit the ground running.

And so congratulations once again, my man.

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