Corporate lawyer Robert J. Grey Jr. is mentioned as a likely candidate to run as heir to Wilder's strong-mayor vision.

Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder won't seek a second term, but the mayor and his business allies may have a successor in mind.

Corporate lawyer Robert J. Grey Jr. is being mentioned as a likely candidate to run as heir to Wilder's vision of a strong mayor to lead city government. Reached last night, Grey would not answer questions about his plans and said he would make a statement today.

"If Robert Grey wanted to run, I think he'd make a very strong candidate who would bridge many gaps," said Richard Cullen, chairman of the McGuireWoods law firm and one of Wilder's lawyers in two far-reaching legal showdowns with City Council last year.

Grey and Police Chief Rodney Monroe have been mentioned as possible successors to Wilder. But Monroe's announcement Thursday that he will accept the police chief's job in Charlotte, N.C., put the focus on Grey, a partner at the Hunton & Williams law firm and a former president of the American Bar Association.

Wilder, 77, announced his decision to not seek a second term first to a called meeting of staff at City Hall yesterday morning, and then in a statement that centered on his accomplishments as Richmond's first popularly elected mayor in more than 50 years. The statement only hints at his reasons for not running.

"As the first elected mayor under the city's new form of government, I have set the course that will continue to produce meaningful results even as I now announce my leave from this office at the end of the year," said Wilder, who was elected with 79 percent of the vote in 2004 but had seen his support erode in public polls.

Wilder's decision sets the stage for a scramble for mayor that already includes Del. Dwight Clinton Jones and former Wilder aide Paul Goldman, with City Council President William J. Pantele and perhaps Grey considering joining the fray.

A candidate with the backing of business leaders who supported Wilder and the new form of government could have an edge among some voter groups and access to resources for a potentially expensive citywide campaign.

Candidates for the Nov. 4 mayoral election face a June 10 filing deadline.

In his meeting with departmental leaders, Wilder spoke after Monroe addressed his decision to take the Charlotte job, said Director of Community Development Rachel Flynn, who attended the meeting.

"The reason [Wilder] gave was he did the things he set out to do . . . kind of mission accomplished, ready to move on," she said.

"I think people were surprised, but people were just quiet and listening intently and very congratulatory of Rodney," Flynn added. One floor above, the news was met with playfulness and glee in the City Council's office suite.

"How many more months we got -- six?" asked City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson, who feigned a case of laryngitis when a reporter approached her for a comment.

"It's been a rocky four years," she said.

Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, did not make himself available to reporters, and his statement does not say whether his decision ends his role in public life, which began with election to the Virginia Senate in 1969.

He has been a prominent supporter of Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the presidency and could play a role in the administration if the Democrat wins the White House. Wilder also is the founder of the planned U.S. National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg.

In his statement, though, he focused on Richmond.

"There is a new spirit within the city that we have turned the corner since 2005 and are reaching our potential to be all that we can be. We will continue to move our city forward, as we have done, and there will be no interruption in our goals or our determination to so do," Wilder said.

Wilder's adversaries weren't sorry to see him go.

"I think he deserves a rest," said a smiling state Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, a former Richmond mayor and law school classmate of Wilder.

Marsh had clashed with Wilder over the new form of government and the mayor's attempt to evict the school administration from City Hall last fall.

Pantele welcomed the end to speculation over Wilder's plans but would not address his own future. "It's proven to be very distracting from getting on with the city's business," the 2nd District councilman said.

City Councilman Bruce W. Tyler, who clashed with Wilder, said the mayor made the right decision. "I'm very appreciative of the fact that he came in and brought a new form of government. I'm also appreciative of the fact that he decided not to run again.

"It's time to find an individual who can bring people together instead of breaking them apart," Tyler said.

City Councilwoman Reva M. Trammell, one of Wilder's few reliable allies on council, said she and many of her South Side constituents are distraught with the looming departure of Monroe and now Wilder.

"I think it's horrible -- two blows to the city in two days," she said.

Members of Richmond's business community voiced disappointment with Wilder's decision.

"There never will be anybody like him," Cullen said. "He was the perfect guy for the strong-mayor inaugural term."

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and CEO of Dominion Resources, said, "I believe that his priorities for the advancement of Richmond were the right ones, and I hope his successor will keep improvement of the schools, the revitalization of downtown, and the job growth necessary to break the cycle of poverty front and center in the public's mind."

Contact Michael Martz at (804) 649-6964 or mmartz@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.