Richmond’s chief administrative officer will leave his position at the end of the year.
Lincoln Saunders, who served in the role for four years, will step down when Mayor Levar Stoney’s term expires on Dec. 31, according to an email sent to city staff on Sunday. His departure was first reported by The Richmonder.
"I’m incredibly confident that the strong and competent leadership team, led by Chief Deputy CAO Sabrina Joy-Hogg, will continue the positive momentum for the City of Richmond," Saunders wrote in the email.
The announcement means incoming Mayor Danny Avula will need to select an interim CAO to run the city’s daily operations instead of easing into the transition with Saunders’ assistance — as Avula previously suggested. The mayor-elect told The Richmonder that he’ll soon share more details about the CAO search, but in the past has said he plans to conduct a nationwide search.
Saunders was first appointed as acting CAO in December 2020, after serving as Stoney’s chief of staff for the entirety of the mayor’s first term.
Prior to working at City Hall, Saunders served as policy adviser to former Gov. Terry McAuliffe and as Dorothy McAuliffe’s chief of staff when she was first lady.
He's also currently a member of William & Mary’s Board of Visitors.
In September, while addressing council, finance head Sheila White said removing her or Saunders would be detrimental to the department. Despite that, in the lead up to the election, each mayoral candidate said they planned to replace Saunders.
For the past year, Richmond’s finance department has been dogged by purchasing card violations and irregularities in personal property tax assessments. Local restaurants also raised concerns beginning in January over inaccurate meals tax bills they’d received.
The city fired several finance department employees in June after hiring a government management specialist to consult with the department on policy and assist in a review of the meals tax.
A performance review of city government operations conducted by TEO Consulting that was released in October showed the vast majority of recommendations made in a 2017 review were implemented, partially implemented or an alternative was found.
Stoney said in a press release the same month the review was released that he was committed to “break[ing] down silos and unnecessary bureaucracy and creat[ing] a strong cross-functional team that delivers for Richmonders.”
At the time, Saunders added that the city remained dedicated to improvements — despite the pandemic, leadership turnover and civil unrest.
“We made some big moves over the past eight years, such as the overhaul of Human Resources, the implementation of the purchasing card program, and thorough engagement of our workforce, that have significantly improved the efficiency of how we operate and the overall culture of City Hall,” Saunders said in the press release. “I am proud of the progress we’ve made.”
