~2011 legislative breakfast with state delegation lays out legislative priorities~ Richmond, VA - The City of Richmond presented its legislative priorities for the 2011 Virginia General Assembly during a breakfast meeting with members of the state delegation. This is the first year that the Mayor, City Council and Richmond Public Schools have presented a unified legislative agenda. "The Mayor, City Council and the School Board are figuratively and literally on the same page with our legislative program," said Mayor Dwight C. Jones. "In order for our city to reach its fullest potential it is imperative that we as leaders of this city - Senators, Delegates, City Council and Richmond Public School Board Members - work together to meet the needs of our residents." The City is calling for help from the state delegation in moving forward with educational opportunities for all of Richmond's children; reducing urban blight; increasing economic development; creating

Mayor Dwight C. Jones today issued the following statement concerning Marcus Jones, deputy chief administrative officer for Finance, and his appointment as city manager for the city of Norfolk. "Marcus Jones' appointment to the role of city manager for the city of Norfolk is bittersweet for me. When I recruited Marcus to Richmond, I knew what a great talent we were bringing to our city. The work that he has done over the past 16 months has met or surpassed every expectation that I had. Marcus has the ability to build organizations and get the best performance from his staff. In the area of finance, he was able to curtail the use of costly consultants and restructure operations with city employees. Under his leadership, staff implemented programs that have resulted in significant budget savings. Marcus is a unique talent and it would be natural for my good friend, Mayor Paul Fraim, to lure him back. This is clearly an important move for Marcus' career, and he deserv

Mayor Dwight C. Jones today issued the following statement reiterating plans to build a new jail at the current site: “A modern and humane jail is critical for our City and is long overdue. We have given adequate attention and consideration to varying ideas for a jail. Now we must work against the city’s plans for a new jail being held hostage by competing political interests and indecisiveness. It was our duty to consider whether alternative proposals would likely save both time and money and we’ve done that. It is clear now that delay will only serve to cost taxpayers additional money and leave existing conditions in place that have for too long gone unaddressed. “In order to improve safety and other conditions, a new jail has to be built as quickly as practicable. The current facility on Fairfield Way offers the clearest opportunity to build quickly and effectively. The fact that the city owns the land will keep costs down for the taxpayer and help avoid further scheduling del