Dr. Danny Avula, the city of Richmond’s mayor-elect, addressed the press in front of City Hall Wednesday, Nov. 6, as outgoing Mayor Levar Stoney looked on. (Ian Stewart/For The Virginia Mercury)
On Wednesday afternoon, standing next to outgoing Mayor Levar Stoney in front of City Hall, Dr. Danny Avula laid out his vision for Richmond and his administration, after emerging as the leading candidate in the city’s mayoral race.
Avula racked up 44,832 votes, or 46%, the most of any candidate, and won in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th districts, according to unofficial results from the Department of Elections.
Avula, the former director of the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts, said he plans to assemble his transition team and, once in office, start a search to hire a new chief administrative officer. He added that he is looking forward to working with current elected officials as well as Richmond’s newly-elected city council and school board members.
“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,” he said. “I’m very, very excited to work with those bodies moving forward for the good of our city.”
He referenced Tuesday’s presidential election, which resulted in Republican Donald Trump winning a second term in the White House, and how it may impact Richmond.
“I think many of us are concerned justifiably about what that means for our city moving forward,” Avula said. “Members of our LGBTQ plus 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.”
Concerning his planned national search for someone to replace current Chief Administrative Officer Lincoln Saunders, Avula said he’s looking for a person who understands complex administrations and can navigate possible issues with federal funding.
“I think the reality of what’s happening at the federal level will mean changes in the funding that may be coming to us,” he said. “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.”
Avula faced off against four other candidates. Michelle Mosby, who finished the race as his closest contender with 25.4% of votes, conceded and congratulated Avula Wednesday morning. Harrison Roday, who earned 13.03%, also conceded Wednesday morning. Candidates Adreas Addison and Maurice Neblett garnered 11.92% and 2.94%, respectively.
The Virginia Department of Elections has not finished certifying Tuesday’s election, and is still in the process of counting provisional ballots, according to their website.
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