Mayor Levar M. Stoney is being tapped by the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) to develop a “proactive, strategic agenda” as the new chairman of the USCM’s Children, Health and Human Services Standing Committee.
 
“Mayor Stoney has demonstrated leadership, commitment and a collaborative approach to meeting the needs of children and families in the City of Richmond,” said USCM president Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina. “We’re grateful for his willingness to chair this important committee, and are excited for him to share Richmond’s recipe for success with USCM cities and localities across the country.”

Over the last two years, the Stoney administration has brought national attention to Richmond with numerous successful initiatives to benefit children and families.

Working with private, community and nonprofit partners, the administration implemented a critically important expansion of after-school programs for city school children and formed a partnership to provide tablets and internet access to incoming public high school freshmen. The administration also created a free ride program on the city bus system for students, and launched the successful “Change for RVA Schools” initiative, which generated $150 million to finance the construction of three new schools.

Focusing on the welfare of residents and working families, the Stoney administration is well on its way toward meeting the promise of building 1,500 affordable housing units by 2023, and just weeks ago announced the first eviction diversion program in the Commonwealth of Virginia, designed to help vulnerable residents avoid the devastating impact of losing their home.
 
This year, the administration also achieved the highest Municipal Equality Index (MEI) score in Virginia, a program sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign that measures the support for LGBTQIA+ communities within American localities. 

Richmond’s nationally recognized Office of Community Wealth Building has expanded its Center for Workforce Innovation to improve the city’s workforce development programs. And in 2017, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded Richmond its Culture of Health Prize, in recognition of the city’s initiatives to build a culture of health throughout the city.
 
“I thank Mayor Benjamin for this opportunity,” said Mayor Stoney. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in Richmond, and I’m looking forward to working with my fellow mayors to advance our successful initiatives nationwide.”

More information about the US Conference of Mayors can be found here.
 
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