Lincoln Saunders earlier this year meeting with restaurant owners about meals tax collection issues. (BizSense file photo)
Richmond’s top administrator for the past four years will not continue in the role under the next mayor and City Council.
Lincoln Saunders, the city’s chief administrative officer since late 2020, informed department directors Friday that he will be stepping down at the end of this month, coinciding with the close of Mayor Levar Stoney’s final term.
In a statement, Saunders – who was Stoney’s chief of staff for four years before filling in as CAO and later being appointed to the role – thanked Stoney and councilmembers for their support, describing the past four years as “the greatest period of collaboration between a City Council and the administration” since the change to an elected-mayor form of government 20 years ago.
Lincoln Saunders
“I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to serve Richmonders for the past eight years and have been honored to build an incredible team of public servants who work tirelessly to make Richmond the best place to live in Virginia,” Saunders said in the statement, which was first reported over the weekend by The Richmonder.
At Monday’s council meeting, the last of the year, an audibly emotional Saunders acknowledged his departure when invited to do so by President Kristen Nye. Stating that he and council have a lot to be proud of from the last four years, Saunders pointed again to what he called “unprecedented levels of coordination and collaboration between council, mayor and administration.”
“I think that speaks highly for the people who are on this body, and I hope it speaks highly for the people who are on the team for the administration side,” he said.
Saunders, 40, faced an uncertain future at City Hall, as all of the five mayoral candidates who vied to succeed Stoney had said publicly they would not retain him if elected.
Mayor-elect Danny Avula, who has said he’ll conduct a national search for a CAO when he takes office in January, said Monday that he “would have welcomed” Saunders “to serve in his current capacity for the upcoming months as we conduct the search,” adding that he respects his decision to leave at the end of the year.
“I’m so grateful for Lincoln’s service to the City of Richmond over the last eight years,” Avula said in a statement, adding that Saunders led City Hall through the pandemic’s challenges, oversaw the city achieving its first AAA bond rating and “helped make the City of Richmond an employer that attracts—and retains—high-quality talent.”
“He should be proud of that work,” Avula said. “I want to reassure City staff and all Richmonders that the mayoral transition process will continue smoothly—with Lincoln’s support. We’re building a great team and will be ready to hit the ground running on January 1.”
Saunders stands beside Mayor Levar Stoney in a news conference in 2019. Two years later, Stoney named Saunders as CAO following the retirement of Lenora Reid, second from left. (BizSense file)
Saunders entered City Hall as the mayor’s chief of staff after Stoney’s election in 2016. He was named acting CAO in December 2020, when previous acting CAO Lenora Reid went on medical leave due to an unspecified medical event. Stoney recommended Saunders for appointment to the role the following year, and council approved the appointment in October 2021.
While he graduated from William & Mary with a bachelor’s in political science and government, and has a master’s in public affairs from Indiana University Bloomington, Saunders’ lack of experience in public administration left him open to scrutiny in his time at City Hall, particularly amid challenges with meals tax collections, the finance department and permitting and plan reviews.
In his statement, Saunders said the No. 1 priority when he started as CAO was “to stabilize an organization that was experiencing unsustainable levels of turnover and vacancies, largely due to the pandemic.”
“Over the last several years, we have significantly reduced vacancies and stopped the revolving door by committing ourselves to becoming an employer of choice,” he said, noting investments in compensation for all employees, enhanced benefits including Virginia Retirement System benefits and employee health clinics, and reinvestment in training and development.
“We’ve only begun to reap the benefits of these investments in our employees, but already they have helped the city make significant progress in key areas,” he said, listing the AAA bond rating from Fitch Ratings, the ballpark-anchored Diamond District project, free public transit, building three new community centers and acquiring Mayo Island for use as a public park.
Stoney, in a statement, lauded Saunders’ part in those achievements.
“His remarkable contributions have driven change and transformation in city government. Under his leadership, we achieved a prestigious AAA credit rating from Wall Street and successfully delivered the groundbreaking of the Diamond District, the largest economic development project in our city’s history,” Stoney said.
“Moreover, his commitment to investing in our city workforce has laid the foundation for our government to become an ’employer of choice’ for years to come.”
Saunders was unaccompanied when he met with restaurant owners about meals tax collections in a meeting in January. (BizSense file photo)
Reached Monday before the council meeting, Saunders declined to discuss his professional plans and deferred to his statement when asked about his decision to step down. In his remarks to council, Saunders acknowledged his untraditional path to City Hall while reiterating the accomplishments reached in his time there.
“I think for the rest of our lives here in the city of Richmond, as we drive around the city, we’re going to see the fruits of our labor these past four years,” Saunders told council.
“A lot’s been said about the fact I didn’t come to this job from a long-term career in local government. But I’m not the only one in my family who’s had that path,” Saunders said, noting his father finished his career serving 10 years as a town manager.
Taking several moments to gather himself while acknowledging his family, including his wife and daughter, Saunders added: “Building a city that you want to raise your daughter in is why we do this work.”
Avula, the mayor-elect, said in his statement that a national search for a new CAO will be conducted and “will take some time.” He said more details on the search process would be announced in coming days.
Saunders’ exit follows another high-level departure in city government this year. In June, Leonard Sledge stepped down as economic development director after five years in that role.
Lincoln Saunders earlier this year meeting with restaurant owners about meals tax collection issues. (BizSense file photo)
Richmond’s top administrator for the past four years will not continue in the role under the next mayor and City Council.
Lincoln Saunders, the city’s chief administrative officer since late 2020, informed department directors Friday that he will be stepping down at the end of this month, coinciding with the close of Mayor Levar Stoney’s final term.
In a statement, Saunders – who was Stoney’s chief of staff for four years before filling in as CAO and later being appointed to the role – thanked Stoney and councilmembers for their support, describing the past four years as “the greatest period of collaboration between a City Council and the administration” since the change to an elected-mayor form of government 20 years ago.
Lincoln Saunders
“I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to serve Richmonders for the past eight years and have been honored to build an incredible team of public servants who work tirelessly to make Richmond the best place to live in Virginia,” Saunders said in the statement, which was first reported over the weekend by The Richmonder.
At Monday’s council meeting, the last of the year, an audibly emotional Saunders acknowledged his departure when invited to do so by President Kristen Nye. Stating that he and council have a lot to be proud of from the last four years, Saunders pointed again to what he called “unprecedented levels of coordination and collaboration between council, mayor and administration.”
“I think that speaks highly for the people who are on this body, and I hope it speaks highly for the people who are on the team for the administration side,” he said.
Saunders, 40, faced an uncertain future at City Hall, as all of the five mayoral candidates who vied to succeed Stoney had said publicly they would not retain him if elected.
Mayor-elect Danny Avula, who has said he’ll conduct a national search for a CAO when he takes office in January, said Monday that he “would have welcomed” Saunders “to serve in his current capacity for the upcoming months as we conduct the search,” adding that he respects his decision to leave at the end of the year.
“I’m so grateful for Lincoln’s service to the City of Richmond over the last eight years,” Avula said in a statement, adding that Saunders led City Hall through the pandemic’s challenges, oversaw the city achieving its first AAA bond rating and “helped make the City of Richmond an employer that attracts—and retains—high-quality talent.”
“He should be proud of that work,” Avula said. “I want to reassure City staff and all Richmonders that the mayoral transition process will continue smoothly—with Lincoln’s support. We’re building a great team and will be ready to hit the ground running on January 1.”
Saunders stands beside Mayor Levar Stoney in a news conference in 2019. Two years later, Stoney named Saunders as CAO following the retirement of Lenora Reid, second from left. (BizSense file)
Saunders entered City Hall as the mayor’s chief of staff after Stoney’s election in 2016. He was named acting CAO in December 2020, when previous acting CAO Lenora Reid went on medical leave due to an unspecified medical event. Stoney recommended Saunders for appointment to the role the following year, and council approved the appointment in October 2021.
While he graduated from William & Mary with a bachelor’s in political science and government, and has a master’s in public affairs from Indiana University Bloomington, Saunders’ lack of experience in public administration left him open to scrutiny in his time at City Hall, particularly amid challenges with meals tax collections, the finance department and permitting and plan reviews.
In his statement, Saunders said the No. 1 priority when he started as CAO was “to stabilize an organization that was experiencing unsustainable levels of turnover and vacancies, largely due to the pandemic.”
“Over the last several years, we have significantly reduced vacancies and stopped the revolving door by committing ourselves to becoming an employer of choice,” he said, noting investments in compensation for all employees, enhanced benefits including Virginia Retirement System benefits and employee health clinics, and reinvestment in training and development.
“We’ve only begun to reap the benefits of these investments in our employees, but already they have helped the city make significant progress in key areas,” he said, listing the AAA bond rating from Fitch Ratings, the ballpark-anchored Diamond District project, free public transit, building three new community centers and acquiring Mayo Island for use as a public park.
Stoney, in a statement, lauded Saunders’ part in those achievements.
“His remarkable contributions have driven change and transformation in city government. Under his leadership, we achieved a prestigious AAA credit rating from Wall Street and successfully delivered the groundbreaking of the Diamond District, the largest economic development project in our city’s history,” Stoney said.
“Moreover, his commitment to investing in our city workforce has laid the foundation for our government to become an ’employer of choice’ for years to come.”
Saunders was unaccompanied when he met with restaurant owners about meals tax collections in a meeting in January. (BizSense file photo)
Reached Monday before the council meeting, Saunders declined to discuss his professional plans and deferred to his statement when asked about his decision to step down. In his remarks to council, Saunders acknowledged his untraditional path to City Hall while reiterating the accomplishments reached in his time there.
“I think for the rest of our lives here in the city of Richmond, as we drive around the city, we’re going to see the fruits of our labor these past four years,” Saunders told council.
“A lot’s been said about the fact I didn’t come to this job from a long-term career in local government. But I’m not the only one in my family who’s had that path,” Saunders said, noting his father finished his career serving 10 years as a town manager.
Taking several moments to gather himself while acknowledging his family, including his wife and daughter, Saunders added: “Building a city that you want to raise your daughter in is why we do this work.”
Avula, the mayor-elect, said in his statement that a national search for a new CAO will be conducted and “will take some time.” He said more details on the search process would be announced in coming days.
Saunders’ exit follows another high-level departure in city government this year. In June, Leonard Sledge stepped down as economic development director after five years in that role.
Look for more jumps and a couple of golden parachute approvals before Ian 31st!
Collaboration with council as the most inept, corrupt, unresponsive to citizens, mismanaged city government, and all the routine failure to provide basic functions of local government since the days of Paygo scandal days.
one can only hope to read of Sheila White’s departure next.
ANYONE who had ANYTHING to do with Stoney needs to get out of Dodge (aka Richmond). One of, if not, THE most destructive admintrations ever ruining Richmond.
By By Fruit Fly!
Any news of the departure of a Stoney-crony is welcome. Any news about a laudable accomplishment by a Stoney-crony is utter BS.Not sure how stupid all hiring managers can be. But hard to believe any of them would award a responsible position to any of these clowns next year, given how they’ve screwed up the City. They’ll have to ride coattails for the rest of their lives to put food on the table.
Most felony criminal convictions of employees per 4-year term. Is that an accomplishment??
Given the mindset of the administration as a whole, they might think so. Another stat that they can point to.
Wow, didn’t realize that. And I moved here in 1990 when city council barely tried to hide their corruption and malfeasance.