Government expert Bill Leighty says VCU’s Wilder School fired him after dispute over ‘gotcha’ question for Richmond mayor

Bill Leighty — who served as chief of staff to former Virginia governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine — says he was fired from his role at VCU’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs after refusing to ask Richmond Mayor Danny Avula a question the school wanted him to ask on behalf of former Gov. Doug Wilder.

A  former Marine who had a long career in state government and is now considered one of Virginia’s top experts on public administration, Leighty was the moderator for a virtual question-and-answer session with Avula last Wednesday. The event was hosted by the Wilder School, where — until late last week — Leighty served as a senior strategic advisor and taught graduate-level courses. 

In a Facebook post Friday night, Leighty said he was pressured to ask Avula a pointed question related to a complicated financial dispute involving VCU, the city of Richmond and state leaders. Leighty said he chose not to raise the question and was abruptly fired two days later.

In an interview with The Richmonder on Sunday, Leighty was clear that he felt he was fired mid-semester — leaving dozens of students without their regular instructor with some weeks away from graduation — because he had angered Wilder.

“The bottom line is Doug Wilder uses the Wilder School as his perch to throw slings and arrows at people who he thinks don’t agree with him or don’t like what he has to say,” Leighty said.