Levar Stoney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Levar Stoney
Stoney in 2022
80th Mayor of Richmond
In office January 1, 2017 – January 1, 2025
Preceded by	Dwight Jones
Succeeded by	Danny Avula
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia
In office January 17, 2014 – April 15, 2016
Governor	Terry McAuliffe
Preceded by	Janet Vestal Kelly
Succeeded by	Kelly Thomasson
Personal details
Born	Levar Marcus Stoney (1981-03-20) March 20, 1981 (age 44) Nassau County, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Kristina Perry ​ ​ (m. 2012; div. 2016)​ Brandy Washington ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	1
Education	James Madison University (BA)
Signature

Levar Marcus Stoney (born March 20, 1981) is an American politician. He served as the 80th Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, from 2017 to 2025. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, he was the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia from 2014 to 2016. He was the youngest person in Governor Terry McAuliffe's team at that time.

Stoney is currently running to become lieutenant governor of Virginia in the 2025 elections.

Early Life and Education

Levar Stoney was born in New York. When he was seven, he moved to Virginia with his younger brother. His father and grandmother raised him and his siblings. His father worked many different low-wage jobs and later became a high school janitor. His grandmother was a retired domestic worker.

At Tabb High School in Tabb, Virginia, Stoney was the quarterback for the school's football team. He was also the president of the student body, a role he held in elementary and middle school too. He graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, in 2004. At college, he was the first African-American male to be elected president of the student government. He was also involved with the College Democrats group.

In 2023, Stoney married Brandy Washington. Their daughter, Sunday Washington Stoney, was born in March 2024.

Political Career

Stoney (left) with Terry McAuliffe in 2010

In 2004, Stoney worked as a Governor's Fellow for Governor Mark Warner. He then helped with John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. He also worked for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

After that, Stoney worked for the Democratic Party of Virginia from 2006 to 2009. He was first the political director and then the executive director. In these roles, he worked closely with President Barack Obama's successful 2008 presidential campaign.

In 2011, Stoney started working as a consultant for an automotive company run by Terry McAuliffe. The next year, he joined McAuliffe's 2013 campaign for governor. When McAuliffe won, Stoney became a key advisor for the new governor's team.

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Stoney in 2015

Governor McAuliffe chose Stoney to be the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia on November 18, 2013. After the Virginia General Assembly approved him, he started his job on January 17, 2014.

As Secretary, Stoney worked to help people who had finished their prison sentences get their voting rights back. He believed that once someone has served their time, they should have the chance to contribute to society again.

Mayor of Richmond

Stoney (right) at a 2022 meeting for the Mental Health Matters Taskforce

On April 21, 2016, Stoney announced he would run for Mayor of Richmond. He resigned from his Secretary position to focus on the election. The current mayor could not run again because of term limits.

Stoney won the election and became Richmond's youngest elected mayor at 35 years old. He was sworn into office on December 31, 2016. He was reelected in 2020.

Improving City Services

When Stoney became mayor, he asked for a review of all city departments. This was to find ways to make the city government work better and more efficiently for everyone.

City Budget and Taxes

In 2019, Mayor Stoney suggested adding a 50-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes. This was Richmond's first cigarette tax. The money from this tax helped increase funding for Richmond Public Schools and for paving streets.

For the 2023–2024 year, Stoney proposed a $3 billion city budget. This budget aimed to give pay raises to many city employees, including police officers and firefighters. It also set a goal that no hourly city employee would be paid less than $18 per hour. The budget also put money towards public schools, affordable housing, and transportation improvements.

Supporting Education

On September 3, 2020, Stoney celebrated the opening of three new schools in Richmond. These schools were built with money from a small increase in the meals tax. The new schools have special science labs, art and music classrooms, and quiet rooms to help students learn better.

Stoney also helped create the "Pathways Program." This program pays for any Richmond Public School student's tuition at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. This helps students continue their education after high school. Since 2017, the city has increased its support for public schools by a lot.

Stoney also focused on expanding after-school programs. By 2020, all Richmond elementary and middle schools offered after-school programs at least twice a week. These programs offer activities in arts, science, and sports, and transportation is provided.

Addressing Housing Needs

A major goal for Stoney was to help with Richmond's affordable housing situation. He set a goal to build 1,000 new affordable homes each year. By 2024, the city was building even more new homes than expected.

Richmond also started Virginia's first program to help prevent evictions. An eviction is when someone is forced to leave their home. This program helps families with money, legal advice, and financial education. It has helped over 1,600 families avoid losing their homes.

The city has built 5,000 new affordable housing units since Stoney took office. They are also working to redevelop older areas to create more homeownership opportunities. In 2023, Stoney proposed new affordable housing projects in South Richmond. He also worked with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to create a $100 million fund to build even more affordable housing.

In March 2023, Stoney and the City Council officially declared a housing crisis in Richmond. This meant they needed more help from the state and other groups to find solutions for the lack of affordable homes.

Removing Confederate Statues

In 2017, Stoney created a group to look at the future of Richmond's Confederate statues. These statues honored figures from the Confederacy, which supported slavery. At first, Stoney thought about adding more information to the statues to explain their history. However, after protests in 2020 about racial justice, Stoney decided that the statues needed to be removed.

On July 1, 2020, Stoney used his emergency powers to order the immediate removal of 11 Confederate monuments. He said this was necessary for public safety and to help the city heal. He believed it was important to move past these symbols and work on racial justice. By December 2022, Richmond had removed its last Confederate monument.

In 2023, Stoney started a new commission to find a plan for renaming streets and public spaces that still honored Confederate figures or slave owners.

National Involvement

In 2019, Stoney became the chair of the United States Conference of Mayors' Children, Health, and Human Services Committee. This role allowed him to help provide resources and programs for children and families across the country.

In 2022, Stoney was elected President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. This group works to elect Democratic mayors across the nation.

Statewide Politics

In December 2023, Stoney announced he would run for governor of Virginia in the 2025 election. However, in April 2024, he changed his campaign and announced he would run for lieutenant governor of Virginia instead.

Electoral history