Letter to the editor

To the Editor,

Thanks for your cover story on Doug Wilder and Richmond (April issue).

There are at least two stories here of significance to Richmond and to all of Virginia: one is the story of Wilder himself and what he is trying to do; the other is the story of how best to organize local government in Richmond and elsewhere in Virginia for the long haul.

Your story, understandably, focuses on the first but does little to deal with the second. The first story has the sizzle, but the second will decide Richmond’s future.

True, politically things are bad enough in Richmond that just about any change is welcome. But under the strong mayor form of government post-Wilder, Richmond could end up with a corrupt dud more easily than a noble crusader. It is ironic that business interests of the progressive/reform era in America strongly supported the council manager form. Now in Richmond business leaders want to try strong mayor once again, perhaps forgetting the lessons of the past.

If you can consistently find a superhero, go for it. But maybe it would be better to address the deep political problems in Richmond that undermined the effectiveness of the council manager form.

Jackson C. Tuttle, II
City manager
City of Williamsburg