In 2005, L. Douglas Wilder, America’s first elected African American governor, returned to public service in his hometown as Richmond’s first popularly elected mayor in six decades. Though winning in a meteoric landslide, carrying nearly 80% of the popular vote and every district, Wilder's assertive leadership style caught many off guard. 

Author Linwood Norman served as press secretary and communications director for the City of Richmond during Wilder's mayoral tenure.

At a book lecture at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, author and VCU alumnus, Linwood Norman, Wilder’s former press secretary and director of communications for the City of Richmond, explored these topics and more from his new book, When Mayor Doug Wilder Ruled Richmond: Strong-Arm Politics in Virginia's Capital City.”

Norman recounted Richmond’s shift to a "strong mayor" model, highlighting a turbulent yet impactful period in the city’s political history. As Virginia’s first and only strong mayor model, this form of governance gives the mayor direct authority over the city council across many areas, such as appointing or removing officials, proposing a budget, vetoing council votes and exercising oversight of day-to-day city operation. In deviation from other mayoral governance models, a strong mayor takes on many of the responsibilities and duties that a city manager would traditionally steer. 

"Mayor Wilder was recognized for achieving significant successes in reducing crime, controlling government expenses and revitalizing the local economy, an impact historians and politicians to date recognize as unprecedented," said Susan Gooden, Dean of the Wilder School. 

In many ways, a strong mayor structure reflects the organization of most state governments. The mayor is the city’s chief executive, while the council is the city’s primary legislative body. With Wilder’s familiarity and influence as the 66th governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, this leadership style, though unprecedented from a city level, advanced governance uniquely aligned with his storied leadership approach.