Richmond CAO talks first 100 days in office, stresses importance of accountability
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — It’s been more than 100 days since Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Odie Donald, II took office in Richmond, stepping into the role months after the city’s water crisis left faucets dry in parts of the city for nearly a week.
The evening of Tuesday, Dec. 16, Donald addressed Richmond leaders at Main Street Station to review his first months in office and discuss the progress his office has made.
"It's the time frame in which you get to identify everything that ain't your fault, but it's surely your problem," Donald said.
A clear theme of the evening was transparency, as his tenure began just six months after January's widespread water crisis -- which left many Richmonders without clean water and led to questions about city leaders’ accountability.
"It's not always going to be right," he said. "The key to government is people ... and we make mistakes."
To be there for the people of Richmond, Donald addressed the work he's done in his first months. He noted rising health insurance costs and audits.
"I've met with [the audit team] probably more times than I met with anybody else in this room," he said. "An audit, by nature, is forced to highlight what you don't necessarily do correctly -- but for us, we've used it as a tool for continuous quality improvement."
He added that the city has made progress in emergency planning -- a key priority of the administration -- and that its finance department has also seen improvements in quality.
On the whole, Donald emphasized that his first 100 days were all about taking stock of Richmond and laying down a firm foundation.
"Whether it's in the application of some of our programs, or in just ensuring that we have the right folks in the right seats," he said.
However, he acknowledged there is always room for improvement. For example, Donald noted ongoing issues with "RVAPay," the city’s online payment system.
"This is something that we have to make sure that we attach to really clean up how we deliver our fiscal activity," he said.
Repeatedly, Donald stressed the importance of accountability, emphasizing that the city would own its mistakes.
"We ain’t running from ‘em, we ain’t hiding from ‘em, we’re not ducking ‘em," he said.
Donald and Mayor Danny Avula also complimented each other’s work multiple times during the event, highlighting a focus on collaboration as the city moves forward.
