During a year-end Q&A session with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Mayor Levar Stoney said he’s heard disappointment from minority residents over the rejected proposal to build a casino in South Richmond.

The proposal, from Urban One, was narrowly defeated, with 51% of voters deciding to reject it. The “no” votes were concentrated north of the James River, in the city’s wealthier – and predominantly white – neighborhoods.

“I go to a barbershop every week,” Stoney said in the December interview. “There are Black and brown people who grew up in Richmond, over 55 years old, who say: ‘I love Richmond, but sometimes I don’t think Richmond loves me back.’ That’s devastating to hear.”