How every Richmond mayoral candidate plans to fix the finance department

RICHMOND, Va. – All five mayoral candidates took the civic debate stage on Tuesday.

The debate took place at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) and was co-sponsored by Richmond First, VMHC’s John Marshall Center, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and WTVR CBS 6.

Moderator Greg McQuade and panelists Bob Holsworth, Chris Coates and Reba Hollingsworth 11 questions for the candidates – Andreas Addison, Danny Avula, Michelle Mosby, Maurice Neblett and Harrison Roday.

The second question of the debate was: A recent audit of the city’s finance department found poor customer service, poor management and disorganized accounting of tax documents. Please explain what you will do to resolve these issues.

CBS 6 has previously reported on operational issues in the city’s finance department.

Danny Avula

They know this is an incredible city and deserves a local government that is committed to listening and responding to the needs of this city.

I have been very clear about my commitment to launching a nationwide search for a CAO and evaluating the leadership of each department so that as close to day one as possible we have a team ready to build the right culture of trust and responsibility for this city.

You know, I’ve been an executive in local health departments and at a state agency for 15 years, and this is the work I’ve done: I’ve hired senior leaders, changed the culture, built great teams, and improved services. And that is the same experience and expertise that I will bring to City Hall on day one.

Maurice Neblett

I believe in our residents and our regional partners, and I believe we can find someone here within the city limits or even within the state to have the CAO. That’s the confidence I think we have in Richmond.

The thing is, I want to make sure we have a financial audit and also a performance audit. This is very important to improve customer service in the city. We also need to improve on implementing technology that is accessible to residents and businesses in lobbies, and we have an open reception area to allow customer service representatives to step out from behind the desk and become more interpersonal.

Harrison Roday

We all know that City Hall needs improvement, and whether it’s auditing departments, rebuilding the finance department, or overseeing an IT transition, these are things I know I can do because I I’ve managed it before, but I also know that things can’t be done alone. Transforming our city hall requires much more than just putting one or two people at the top of the organizational chart. It requires collaboration with the people in the building who do the work every day.

That’s why I’m so proud to be supported by SEIU and the Teamsters, who represent so many of our hard-working frontline City Hall employees who want to get their jobs done.

They know that this isn’t about hiring outside consultants and paying big money to people who have no vested interest in our shared success. They know we do things together.

Michelle Mosby

Firstly, we need to make sure we have a kitchen cabinet to help us and have expertise in the different departments so we can be effective.

Secondly, it’s about making sure we’ve completed our search so we can walk in the door and look for our CAO.

And third, it’s about making sure our priorities align with our vision, our mission and our values.

And then there are meetings with all departments. Previously, under the former mayor, it was a forensic study. I don’t think a forensic study is what we need. We need to meet with our department heads. We need to see where our goals and objectives lie. We need to see what has led to their inability to move forward and deliver the results we need. We need to see if their staffing levels are sufficient so that we can hire what we need in those departments so that we can then make sure that we have the necessary tools that we need so that we can improve and improve our digital footprint from there From here we can ensure that we are ready to propose our fiscal year 2026 budget, knowing that these are the steps that need to be taken so far for us to be productive.

Andrew Addison

When I worked at City Hall in 2012, I conducted an employee survey and across the organization about 2,000 employees responded and they said they had three workplace issues.

Firstly, I am not properly trained.

Secondly, I don’t have the right systems in place to do my job.

And thirdly, I don’t have the right information to complete and complete my work.

Two weeks and months ago, finance employees were laid off. They said they were fired for three reasons. Firstly, they were not properly trained. The systems they don’t have aren’t working properly and they don’t have the right information to do their jobs.

This is not a complicated solution. That means jumping in, rolling up our sleeves and asking our employees: What can we do to make your job easier?

They are every bit as frustrated as you are with how we operate as a city. They want to have systems. They want to get their work done with the best possible performance that you expect. And so, one of the things I’m going to do as mayor is use my time as a city employee to get people off the front lines and understand exactly what they need to see in terms of their work. Give them performance expectations and support, and celebrate when they accomplish the tasks we expect of them, to ensure we are building a city you can trust and accountable for the services you deserve.

Find out more about the candidates

Watch the full debate here or on our YouTube channel.

CBS 6 interviewed each candidate before the debate, which you can find here:

For more information about this year’s election – and how to vote in the city of Richmond or surrounding areas – check out WTVR’s Virginia Voter’s Guide.

You can check your voter registration here. The last day to register to vote is October 15th.

What are your hopes for Richmond’s next mayor? Email the CBS 6 Newsroom and let us know.

Note: WTVR used AI software to transcribe the debate, and newsroom staff provided editing for clarity.