All Hat and No Cowboy

Back in the summer of 2016, I got a call one day saying that a guy named Levar Stoney wanted to meet me. He was running for mayor, and the young voice on the other end of the phone seemed to be reading from a script.

“Levar wants to meet for coffee and get feedback from business owners like you,” the caller said. “Sure, I’m always up for coffee,” I replied. We agreed to meet at Starbucks on Robinson.

I’m not discussing his politics, nor mine, in this post. This is just what happened when I met him 9 years ago.

I wore suits back then. So did Mr. Stoney. But after a few minutes, I realized that I was talking to an empty suit. My dad used to call it “All hat and no cowboy.” It’s an idiom that “describes someone who talks a big game or appears to be impressive but lacks substance, action, or the skills they claim to possess” (according to Wiktionary).

He started by asking what the city could do to support businesses. I answered, but his eyes were not on me. He looked past me, and he definitely wasn’t listening. After a few minutes, he changed topics and said, “I hope I can count on your support.” I said I’d need to know more because he didn’t give me any specifics. He suggested I look at his website. I told him that I was leaning towards supporting one of his opponents, Jack Berry, the former Hanover County Administrator and former CEO of Venture Richmond. Surprisingly, Jack’s website is still up after 9 years.

“This has been wonderful. Here’s my card so you can call me to discuss more ideas,” he said as he stood up. He waved at another patron who had just walked in, so I don’t think he heard me when I said, “I think I’m going to back Jack.” He shook a few more hands and left.

I had the chance to meet Mr. Mayor more than a dozen times through his eight-year tenure: City Hall, two press conferences, a few Chamber of Commerce functions, and at a few nice restaurants around town. Each time he acted as if we’d met for the very first time. It still makes me chuckle.

Last year, Mr. Stoney had visions of stepping up and running for Governor. He downshifted to run for Lt. Governor. Voters in the City of Richmond and surrounding counties denied him that opportunity.

In the city of Richmond, nearly 80% of voters voted for the other candidates, and he only received 5,821 votes. In the Museum District, where we first met for that coffee, only 5% of residents voted for the former Mayor.

Political pundit Dr. Bob Holsworth said it best. “His home base just said we don’t want to promote you. And we’re going to make sure you’re not promoted.” All hat, no cowboy.