Richmond hires new finance director from Virginia Beach

Mayor Danny Avula’s administration picked a City Hall veteran to return to Richmond to lead the city’s troubled Finance Department, according to a news release this week.

Letitia Shelton — who currently serves as finance director in Virginia Beach — will take on the same role in Richmond starting Aug. 6.

A Richmond native, Shelton spent 19 years working for the city as part of her decades-long career in public administration. Her previous roles included serving as interim director of public works and deputy director of finance and administration, according to the city.

“Ms. Shelton is a powerhouse in municipal finance and operations, and we are incredibly blessed to have her return to Richmond for this critical leadership role,” said Chief Administrative Officer Odie Donald II. “She brings a much-needed combination of technical expertise, executive leadership, and deep roots in Richmond. Most importantly, she shares my people-first, people-always mindset and brings thoughtful, collaborative leadership that will truly benefit the entire organization.”

Shelton will replace current Finance Director Sheila White, who has had several controversies flare up on her watch but nevertheless has won praise from city officials for attempting to turn around a department with longstanding cultural problems and outdated systems.

White was hired under former Mayor Levar Stoney and served as finance director for roughly four years.

That put her in the thick of the government’s feud with local restaurant owners over perceived flaws in the city’s attempts to collect meals taxes. In early 2024, the city drew sharp criticism from the restaurant industry after telling businesses they had substantial tax debts over missed payments several restaurant owners said they were never told about.

The problems continued this year. The city botched an effort to mail property owners one-time real estate tax rebate checks approved last year, forcing delays that led the correct checks to just go out this summer. Then when the city tried to send out a new round of real estate tax bills, thousands of bills were erroneously sent to homeowners instead of to mortgage lenders who are supposed to handle yearly tax payments.

Despite those missteps, some city officials have maintained that the Finance Department is making progress, and some new problems are popping up as a result of changing systems and processes to fix old problems.

In a recent appearance before a City Council committee, White showed a presentation slide that said there are still “pockets of secrecy and sabotage” in the department.

Shelton, hired at a salary of $220,000, will now pick up where White left off under the new leadership team headed by Avula and Donald, the top administrator who also just joined City Hall.

“Richmond is home, and where I started my career. It’s where I learned the power of public service,” Shelton said in the city announcement. “I’m thrilled to return and contribute to a city I care so deeply about that gave me so much. Together with a strong team, I look forward to building systems that support efficiency, accountability, and long-term sustainability. Residents deserve nothing less.”

When asked at a news conference Monday about his plans for reshuffling the ranks of high-level city officials, Donald said “there are always new faces in government.”

“You're going to have people come and go from government. Sometimes negatively. Sometimes positively,” Donald said. “We're trying to do it the positive way, where people excel and deliver services at the highest level, and then folks who can pay ‘em a ton more money can come and snatch them away. But we plan to also build our bench to where folks you know step into roles and continue to grow.”

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org