As we know all too well of late, balancing free speech rights with public safety and order requires a deft touch. On our latest episode of How to Really Run a City, former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed are joined by one of their protégés: Mayor Levar Stoney of Richmond, Virginia. They compare notes on the handling of public protest — “It’s a little more art than science,” says Reed — and they dive into Richmond’s record economic growth under Stoney, as well as the mayor’s history-making removal of his city’s Confederate monuments.

Mayor Stoney, 43, is in his second term, and recently gave up a run for governor next year in favor of one for lieutenant governor. He’s been a rising star in Virginia Democratic politics and served as former Governor Terry McAuliffe’s Secretary of the Commonwealth from 2014 through early 2016 before winning a competitive race to become Richmond’s mayor. Stoney, whom Richmond magazine described as possessing a “hard won optimism,” won reelection in 2020.

In their conversation with Mayor Stoney, the mayors hold forth on what Nutter calls the lonely place that is leadership, and Reed posits that leading from a place of joy — as Stoney has — is actually the secret sauce of a successful mayoralty.

Check out the episode featuring Mayor Stoney here or below. Watch the conversation unfold on YouTube above or here. As always, let us know what you think — and who you’d like to hear on future episodes of the podcast — at [email protected].

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