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Over the last several weeks, Mayor Stoney has given numerous interviews looking back at his eight years in office and, as expected, it is filled with his highlights (both real and imagined). In all the interviews we reviewed, Stoney talked with The Richmonder, the Times Dispatch, VPM News, Bill Fitzgerald at CBS 6, The Richmond Free Press, and Richmond BizSense. The mayor talked about certain things he was proud of such as the reduction in poverty, more funding for schools, providing after-school programs for children, opening new community centers, adding more affordable housing units (put a bookmark on this “accomplishment”), and his economic development “strategy” (but he never even mentioned the casino?).
The interviews make it clear what he sees as his legacy, and highlighting that is what all exiting politicians do; that is natural. Michael Paul Williams, however, had an interesting take on his assessment of the administrative part of Stoney’s legacy: “The City Hall that Stoney pledged to shape up when he first ran for mayor appears to be as inefficient, dysfunctional and corrupt as ever.”
This post, however, takes a look at what was not said, omitted (perhaps intentionally), and some whoppers that are classified under delusions of grandeur.
For example, Stoney never used the word “service” or “serve,” that you might use that in a sentence like, “It has been an honor to serve the people of Richmond.” You could also invoke the Ghandi quote, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Stoney apparently never got lost. He did, however, use the word “service” in several interviews talking about how City Hall needed to improve customer service, which is a Hall of Fame understatement and something he failed to do over eight years (more on that below).
Stoney also didn’t say the word “listen,” as in “listening to the people,” or “I have learned a lot by listening.” Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “I'm a very strong believer in listening and learning from others,” which is always good advice, and an even better political strategy.
Stoney’s only use of the word “humble” was in his interview with The Richmonder when he said, “This job can humble you.” Of course, it was clear he wasn’t referring to
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