In Richmond, my Mayoral term has tackled the difficulties left behind from 30 years of neglect that had brought our City to a standstill. The local newspaper even noted in an editorial cartoon that the job was a big one.

I believe Richmond is rapidly changing from a City of pessimists to a City of optimists.

The recent Council-sponsored poll found that 81% of Richmonders think the City is moving in the right direction and also noted strong quality of life among their neighborhoods and the good work of many City departments, including Police, Fire, Libraries, and Parks and Recreation.
 
There is more work to be done. I think our citizens know that the new form of government was the change Richmond needed.
 
In the last four years, we have increased spending on public safety and the results speak for themselves. The City is no longer a national disgrace but a national model that others want to follow. Crime is at its lowest point in 27 years and the City has seen major decreases in almost every category. It is hard to believe that before 2005 Richmond never had a dedicated homicide unit and the homicide rate has decreased more than 50% since that time.
 
Before 2005, the City had implemented Downtown Master plans as required by state code, but they had always involved little if any public involvement or input. We changed that last year and opened up the process to unprecedented levels and got people excited in having a voice about the future of our Downtown. We also held numerous public sessions for the development of the Parks & Recreation Master Plan.
 
Before 2005, the City had more than 3,400 vacant buildings and lax code enforcement. With that laxity came abandoned properties that became safe havens for crime and weakened neighborhoods. Today, the number of vacant buildings has decreased to less than 1,700 and the number for code violations has doubled in just two years. This has been a key factor in helping to reduce crime and revitalize neighborhoods that urgently needed help.
 
It is hard to believe that before 2005, the City did not have basic financial tools in place as are standard practice in the private sector - and in responsible governments. That is why we created the position of Chief Financial Officer and implemented, among other things, monthly and annual comparison reports on City finances, developed a depreciation schedule on the City's fixed assets, and developed a grant tracking program to enable the City to obtain more state and federal monies for local use.
 
When I arrived in 2005, many departments of our government - in the 21st Century - did not keep accurate data, electronic records, or performance measurement records! Without that information, tracking employee and departmental performance was nearly impossible.