Dear Richmond:

I write this letter to you while quarantined after being exposed to a confirmed case of COVID-19. While my test results came back negative, let this serve as a reminder that this virus is serious and warrants our closest attention and precaution. We cannot let our guard down – we must protect each other by wearing masks, strictly social distancing, and getting tested. This is our duty to one another.

Richmond, I take your health, safety, and well-being seriously — as I would for my family. Because Richmond is my family.

I love Richmond, and serving as your mayor the past four years has been the greatest honor of my life. I will be the first to tell you that I have grown into the role. This was a frequent refrain I heard on the campaign trail, and I can say it has certainly been a humbling experience.

I have learned a lot from Richmonders about what they want from their mayor and city government. I have learned they want to be brought to the table as we build a more equitable city.

I have also learned that to deliver on that expectation, we need consistent and robust community engagement, a willingness to adjust, and an understanding that compromise is not a bad word. I will take these lessons to heart going into my second term.

We have a lot of work ahead to unify and heal our city. I promise I will work just as hard for those who have opposed my vision as those who have supported it. We must work together out of collective love for and in the interest of our great city.

To begin this work, here is what I have heard from Richmonders over the past few months:

1. Ensuring our community's health and safety during the pandemic must come first.
2. There are concerns about our children's education during the pandemic, but many appreciate the efforts taken by RPS and my administration's commitment to funding it.
3. Residents want continued intentionality behind a justice and equity agenda. More specifically, any economic development project must create economic justice, and Black and Brown people want and need respectful community policing, the same quality of policing we see in the predominantly-white West End.
4. Residents need access to more high-paying jobs and affordable housing.
5. City services have gotten better, but residents want even more services, more reliably (paving, sidewalks, permitting).

I know that the "status quo mentality" runs deep in Richmond, but I remain committed to serving Richmond, addressing your needs, and taking audacious steps to do so. The only way to challenge the status quo is to be intentionally bold. So, make no mistake, I will continue to push the envelope.

My love for this city is more deeply rooted than ever. My commitment to you is that:

I will listen;

I will lead with my heart, compassion, and justice;

I will double down on unity, not division; and

I will continue to be bold.

I look forward to meeting you at the table. It will take all of us to ensure Richmond does not miss the moment.

With love,

Levar

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