Lisa Antonelli Bacon

Excerpt

RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 15 - When L. Douglas Wilder took office in 1990 as the nation's first elected African-American governor, he faced a $2 billion budget deficit. He said then that he could pare the deficit with a butter knife, just by putting "necessities before niceties."

Now, as the first popularly elected mayor of Virginia's capital in 60 years, Mr. Wilder is taking a machete approach to cleaning up a city that he calls "a cesspool of corruption and inefficiency."

This month, he will go before the General Assembly to ask for more power as mayor. And despite lost jobs and pay disputes, it appears that no one is trying to stop him.

Around coffee shops and water coolers, many residents of Richmond, the former Confederate capital, say they are willing to hand over whatever power it takes to run the city efficiently and honestly. "It's about time," said Jacque Chappell, 54, who works part time at a local department store. "I'm not worried about him having too much power. He's just what this city needs."

Bill Cosby, a friend of Mr. Wilder's, said as much in his introduction at the mayor's swearing-in on Jan. 2. "You've elected someone into office who does not fool around," Mr. Cosby said.

There is little dispute that Richmond is due for a cleansing. With 95 murders recorded last year, Richmond earned a position in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's 10 most dangerous cities, a designation that Mr. Wilder attributes to misappropriation and mismanagement in the city administration.

In the last decade alone, three City Council members have gone to prison on charges that included drug possession and influence peddling. And last year, an assistant in the city manager's office pleaded guilty to stealing a million dollars from the city payroll.

Although few are finding fault with Mr. Wilder's approach to cleaning up the city, there are those who believe Richmond is not as bad off as the new mayor contends.

In recent years, the city has received three upgrades of bond ratings, saving almost $25 million, and crime has dropped by 12 percent. And the "rainy day" fund is in better financial health.

"He's inheriting a city that is definitely on the move," said Calvin Jamison, the former city manager, whose job was abolished when last year the General Assembly approved the city's move to a strong-mayor form of government. Previously, the mayor held a largely ceremonial position and was elected by fellow members of the City Council.

For Mr. Wilder, who is also a former state senator, the mayor's job may hardly seem like an ambitious political career move. But Mr. Wilder has...