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Her Excellency Madam President of the Virginia Local Government Management Association Bonnie Svrcek is saluted by her loyal local supporters on the Lynchburg Courthouse steps. From left to right, they are Altavista Assistant Town Manager Dan Witt, Amherst County Administrator Bryan David, Amherst County Assistant County Administrator David Profitt, Regional PDC Executive Director Gary Christie, Appomattox Town Manager David Garrett, Lynchburg City Manager Kim Payne, President Svrcek, Appomattox County Administrator Aileen Ferguson, (in back hidden from view) the reclusive Altavista Town Manager Waverly Coggsdale, Amherst Town Manager Jack Hobbs, Appomattox County Assistant County Administrator John Spencer, former Bedford City Manager Craig Meadows, Campbell County Assistant County Administrator Cliff Tweedy, and Campbell County Administrator David Laurrell.

Bonnie is someone whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with for some time. She has shown great knowledge and perseverance in dealing with issues in Lynchburg. As a former VLGMA Board member who had the pleasure to
work with Bonnie on VLGMA projects, she always brought a pragmatic view and a great deal of energy to the table as we addressed the issues of the day as a VLGMA Board or committee. She is a strong individual who is a credit to the profession and will serve as a superb leader of VLGMA.

- John A. Anzivino
Vice President,
Springsted Inc.
Former Virginia Local Government Manager

government and thinking, gosh, this is really what it is all about. I really do believe that all government is local. Everything comes down to this is where the rubber meets the road and this is where you can see change happen and make things happen.”

She eventually ended up working as an assistant to the lobbyist for the city of Los Angeles. While working there, she got her master’s in public administration. She described feeling inspired by what she was doing as well as by a course she took from Doug Harman who was with the city of Alexandria. “I wanted to work in local government,” she said, “not local government 3,000 miles away.”

EARLY GUIDANCE

It wasn’t long before her wish came true and she landed a job as a budget analyst for Fairfax County. After five years went by, she felt restless. Tony Griffin (now Fairfax County Executive) had just come to the county as deputy executive from his previous job as Falls Church City Manager. “One day I just saw him in the hall and said, ‘could I come talk to you sometime about city management?’ He said, ‘well, sure, but I might tell you things you don’t want to hear.’ I said, ‘that’s why I want to talk to you because I sense that you are going to tell me the good, the bad, and the ugly as I think about what my next career step is.’”

He counseled her for about three hours one afternoon about the profession with its peaks and pitfalls. “It was just great,” she recalled. “He has such a gift to be a mentor and to develop people professionally . . . I was a beneficiary of his skills and abilities.”

The next thing she knew, then Fairfax County Executive Jay Lambert popped into her office one day with an ad for a position in Blacksburg. He told her that she should