Thomas Richards (mayor) Development of the Midtown project continued. It was announced on March, 3rd 2014 that Richards was appointed to and will be chairman of the Rochester City School District volunteer board overseeing a $1.3 billion city school modernization program. Richards is a graduate of Bucknell University and Cornell University Law School, and served in the U.S. Navy. Richards is a trustee of the University of Rochester and of George Eastman House. Thomas Richards (mayor) Thomas S. Richards (born July 8, 1943) is an American lawyer, business executive and politician who served as the 68th Mayor of Rochester, New York. From 1972
Thomas Richards (mayor) officer. From 1998 until 2002 he was the chairman, president and chief executive officer of RGS Energy Group, the parent company of Rochester Gas & Electric. From 2006 to 2010 he was the corporation counsel of the City of Rochester. On October 28, 2010, he was appointed Deputy Mayor of the City of Rochester and inaugurated interim mayor on January 1, 2011. On January 18, 2011, Richards resigned to ensure he could run in a special election without violating terms of the Hatch Act, which could have jeopardized federal funding. On February 5, 2011, Richards was officially nominated by the