Jepson School of Leadership Studies’ political scientist Thad Williamson comments on Richmond Mayor’s performance and leadership style.
The Feb. 3, 2011 article from the Richmond Times-Dispatch
At the midpoint of his term leading Richmond, Mayor Dwight C. Jones said he hasn’t decided whether to seek re-election but is pleased with what his administration has done in an economy that has squeezed budgets and stalled development projects.
Among his accomplishments, Jones cites improved streets and fiscal policies, as well as expanded opportunities for minority-owned firms and the revival of the historic Hippodrome Theater in Jackson Ward.
The theater, a landmark in African-American nightlife during segregation, is reopening following a $12 million restoration and expansion aided by $600,000 in city and federal funds.
Today, Jones will deliver his second State of the City address on a stage that was once graced by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.
“We made it happen,” Jones said, noting years of talk about reopening the Hippodrome. “If we hadn’t put up the gap money, it would not have happened, and that’s going to anchor a whole [entertainment] district in the city, kind of our own little Beale Street” in Memphis, Tenn.
Jones also noted that, under his administration, the city is finally moving to build new schools and a new jail, and it has made budget cuts without layoffs or furloughs. In addition, the city has switched to two collections of real-estate taxes per year to avoid short-term borrowing that had cost $1.7 million annually in interest payments.
Jones started his four-year term in January 2009 after four tumultuous years with former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder as the city’s first elected mayor under its new form of government. Wilder’s term was marked by clashes with the City Council and the leadership of the Richmond school system.
Jones, a former member of the House of Delegates, has avoided such public dustups, preferring instead to work with council members and school officials behind the scenes.
Jones’ style of “benign leadership” €” deliberate and often less visible €” has helped to stabilize the city government and to restore public faith in the new form of government, said Nelson Wikstrom, a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“He doesn’t put his face in your face,” Wikstrom said. “I think he realizes there’s not too much to be gained from that.”
He credited Jones with making good hiring decisions, focusing on roads and other core government functions, as well as attracting Megabus as a low-cost intercity transportation option and the Richmond Flying Squirrels minor-league baseball team.
Thad Williamson, an assistant professor of leadership studies at the University of Richmond, said the economy has made it difficult for Jones to get much accomplished, but he credited him for pursuing “green” initiatives and for completing a study that positions the city to receive federal grants. He said, with the political waters calmed, the mayor’s may need to take some risks and to demonstrate a little fire.
“I think people are hungry for the mayor,” he said. “They want a sense of urgency conveyed from the top.”
Jones acknowledges that he has governed with a dose of caution but insists his style has not and will not impede development and investment in the city.
“I think that when people say we’re deliberative, I think that’s a compliment, because I think that, in light of what happened in the city prior to our coming, deliberative is what the city needed,” he said.
City Councilman Bruce W. Tyler, who has emerged as Jones’ most frequent critic on council, credited the mayor with toning down the rhetoric at City Hall and for giving council members better access to city department leaders.
However, Tyler said he believes Jones overstates the level of communication and collaboration between the administration and council. As an example, Tyler cited the administration’s goal of having 40 percent minority participation in the construction of the new schools and jail.
“We’ve got these policy decisions being made that I feel should be discussed publicly,” Tyler said. “We need the mayor bringing us stuff before it gets jelled and stop pushing it down our throats.”
Noting that Tyler was among the council members who had urged the administration to improve minority participation in city contracts, Jones said the authority to set such goals rests with the mayor’s administration unless the council approves an ordinance to the contrary. Administration officials say the 40 percent goal appears to be attainable given the feedback from groups vying for the estimated $137 million jail project.
“What it says is that we’re open for business, that you can participate,'” Jones said. “And that hasn’t been the case in the city of Richmond.”
In last year’s State of the City address, Jones made clear his view that Richmond has a strong-mayor form of government. Now, he opts for “quasi-strong.”
“I think there are unanswered questions and there are issues that still need to be resolved going forward,” he said. “We’ve had a cooperation with City Council and so it really has not been front and center.
“But, with different personalities €” different time, different place, different people €” those questions are going to have to be dealt with” through changes to the City Charter.”
As the economy shows signs of improvement, Jones said he’s eager to see the start of several development projects, including the redevelopment of the Dove Court public-housing complex in Highland Park and the Reynolds Packaging Group’s North Plant property along the Canal Walk.
However, he isn’t signaling what he’d like to see happen along North Boulevard €” other than a new home for the Flying Squirrels.
Jones would not commit to the team’s suggested timeline that would have a new ballpark ready for the 2014 season.
“It’s a regional effort, so it’s not going to be my decision alone, but I’m committed to making sure that they get a place to play,” he said. “’14,’15, we’ll move as fast as we can on it.”
Jones called for expanding the city’s tax base but said he has not taken a position on a proposed retail project for the Verizon building on North Nansemond Street.
“If it takes away from Carytown, then it’s not good. It if enhances it and complements it, then it’s a good thing,” Jones said. “Retail is important. We need to have more retail in the city of Richmond, and we need some brands in the city of Richmond.”
