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February 6, 2007 [LINK / comment]
Staunton's new city manager
After six months of evaluating applicants, the Staunton City Council has chosen Stephen Owen to be the next city manager, effective March 12. Owen has been serving as town manager of Herndon since 2003, and now looks forward to serving in this "beautiful community," as he called Staunton. See newsleader.com. This sentence caught my attention, however:
As town manager, Owen recently guided Herndon through a controversial project that granted a conditional use permit for a taxpayer-funded day labor job site to operate on town property.
The problem was that the site used public funds to cater to illegal immigrant workers who lacked Social Security numbers and were therefore ineligible for regular wage jobs. Then-candidate for governor Jerry Kilgore got involved in that controversy in August 2005, and Herndon voters expressed strong opposition to the day-labor project when they elected a clean slate of council members last May. I used to go on bike rides along the W & OD trail that passed through Herndon; they have managed to maintain the flavor of the old town center while massive development proceeds all around it.
Speaking of controversy, the previous city manager of Staunton, Bob Stripling, was at the center of the flap involving the city treasurer and commissioner of revenue that reached a head in October 2005. Staunton was the first city in the United States to adopt the city manager form of municipal government, back in 1908. Unlike elected mayors, city managers are trained professionals who are supposed to keep politics separated from efficient management of local government, but it doesn't always work out that way.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 06 Feb 2007, 9: 41 PM
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January 4, 2007 ~ 110th Congress: open for business
January 24, 2007 ~ The State of the Union, 2007
March 28, 2007 ~ Mark Steyn's America Alone
April 19, 2007 ~ Senator Hanger comes to Staunton
April 30, 2007 ~
Sen. Hanger's campaign kick-off
June 1, 2007 ~
Stars shine for Senator Hanger
June 12, 2007 ~
Republicans In Name Only? You be the judge!
June 13, 2007 ~
How sweet: Reason prevails
June 24, 2007 ~
SWAC bloggers air dirty laundry
August 13, 2007 ~ Hasta la vista, Karl Rove
August 21, 2007 ~
Fading dreams of democracy
August 6, 2007 ~
Nats sweep World Champion Cards!
September 23, 2007 ~ Au revoir, RFK Stadium
October 18, 2007 ~ Nationals 2007: Year in review
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Augusta County Campaign 2007
October 29, 2007 ~ Red Sox sweep Rockies; Dynasty?
November 7, 2007 ~ Democrats win Virginia Senate
December 14, 2007 ~ The Mitchell Report is released
December 29, 2007 ~
The death of Benazir Bhutto
December 31, 2007 ~ Baseball 2007: Year in Review
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