Of Note

ABINGDON

G.M. Newman announced his retirement as town manager in June. Town officials have begun their search for his successor. For more information contact them at (276) 628-3167.

AMELIA COUNTY

County Administrator Philip Vannoorbeeck announced his resignation from that post in June. After eight years as their county administrator, his board of supervisors expressed regret at his departure and wished him the best. Norma Duty, longtime assistant county administrator will serve as interim. For more information contact Norma at (804) 561-3039.

APPALACHIA

Fred Luntsford Jr. is the new Appalachia Town Manager. When he was hired, he was serving his second year as Wise County Board of Supervisors Chair. For the past two years the duties of the town manager were performed by former Mayor Ben Cooper. He announced earlier that he plans to resign his elected seat. This evolved from 14 individuals who were indicted in early March on election fraud and/or government corruption charges by a Wise County grand jury that concerned the 2004 town elections. Eddie Gallaway was chosen by the town council to replace Cooper. For more information contact Fred Luntsford at (276) 565-3900.

APPOMATTOX

Longtime Appomattox Mayor Ronald C. Spiggle has retired as mayor. He chose not to run for reelection, having served as town mayor for 28 years from 1978­2006. From 1974­1978 he served as a town council member. He has been active in Virginia politics and with the Virginia Municipal League. He also served two terms on the Virginia Transportation Safety Board and a term on the Advisory Commission for Intergovernmental Relations. For more information contact Roxanne W. Paulette, Appomattox Town Clerk to Council at (434) 352-8268.

BATH COUNTY

Former Franklin County Assistant County Administrator Bonnie Johnson has been appointed Bath County Administrator. She has played key roles in developing Franklin County’s public utilities, economic development, and landfill operations for the past ten years. Before that, she was the Cumberland County Administrator, and was Botetourt County Assistant County Administrator and Roanoke County Planner. According to Interim County Administrator Clifford Williams, they went through 18 different candidates in their search. For more information contact her at (540) 839-7221.

DINWIDDIE COUNTY

In May, the Dinwiddie County Board of Supervisors announced they have appointed W. Kevin Massengill as county administrator. He had been serving a second term as interim administrator for eight months after the resignation of George S. Horwedel. He was hired three and a half years ago as assistant county administrator, and before that served in the Gilmore and Warner Administrations in PR for the Governors Director of Constituent Affairs. He is a native of Dinwiddie. For more information contact Kevin Massengill at (804) 469-4500, ext. 105.

HERNDON

Powhatan Today, a newspaper in Powhatan County, marked the occasion of its twentieth anniversary by recognizing “Twenty People Who Have Left Their Mark on the County”. Included on the list was Herndon Town Manager Stephen F. Owen who served as Powhatan County Administrator from 1993 to 2002. Those who knew and worked with Steve Owen remember him as an inspirational leader, and one who faced adversity with a positive commitment to solve challenges. Many of us who rode around with him in his old red truck that came fully equipped with a harmonica miss him here in our region, but know he is appreciated and needed in his new home of Herndon. His accomplishments as county administrator were numerous, included creating an overall positive and collegial atmosphere in the county administration building. According to Herndon Mayor Michael L. O’Reilly, “This recognition by Powhatan Today may have come as a surprise to Steve, but it’s no surprise to those of us who work with him here in Herndon. He is a first rate administrator who is highly deserving of recognition by his professional peers and by the communities in which he serves. ” For more information contact Anne Curtis, Herndon Public Information Officer at (703) 435-6800, ext. 2010 or anne.curtis@herndon-va.gov.

LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA

The former Library of Virginia Director Ella Gaines Yates died in Atlanta June 27 at the age of 79.

In 1976, she became the first African American Director of the Atlanta&ndas;Fulton Public Library System in Georgia. Her career began there in 1972 when she took a post as assistant director. According to DAR Library Director Eric G. Grundset, in 1981 she became a consultant. She served as Virginia State Librarian during the Baliles and Wilder Administrations, when the Old State Library was in what is now the Patrick Henry Building. Before working in Atlanta, she also served as assistant director of Montclair, NJ Public Library from 1970 to 1972, branch librarian at East Orange NJ Public Library from 1960 to 1970, head of the children’s department at Orange NJ Public Library, and assistant branch librarian at Brooklyn Public Library from 1951 to 1955.

NEW COLLEGE INSTITUTE

Governor Tim Kaine signed legislation this past session of the General Assembly creating the New College Institute in Martinsville. Governor Kaine also named some of his first appointees to the New College Board of Directors. Elizabeth Haskell of Martinsville will serve as a member of the board of directors. She is currently a member of the New College Institute Planning Commission. She previously served as Secretary of Natural Resources for the Wilder Administration, and as chair of the State Air Pollution Board. Henry County Attorney George Lyle of Martinsville will also serve on the board. He also serves as chair of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. Amanda Redd is on the board as well. She owns a real estate investment company in Martinsville. Martinsville Vice Mayor Kimble Reynolds Jr. will serve on the board. He is the sole practitioner of a general practice law firm. He is also chair of the Martinsville/Henry County Community & Economic Development Strategy Advisory Committee. Martinsville-Henry County Memorial Hospital CEO Joseph Roach of Martinsville is on the board and is a member of The Harvest Foundation. He’s also on the Martinsville/Henry County Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. CEO Rob H. Spilman Jr. of Martinsville will also serve. He serves as a trustee of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges. And VCU President Dr. Eugene P. Trani will serve on the board; he’s also president and chair of the VCU Health System Board of Directors. For more information contact Governor Kaine’s Press Secretary Kevin Hall at (804) 225-4260 or www.governor.virginia.gov.

SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK

Free Guided Hikes in Shenandoah National Park will be offered by the National Parks Conservation Association. Hikers will explore different trails and learn how to protect themselves from air pollution. In addition, participants will receive a free guide on how to have a safe, healthy, and enjoyable visit in our national parks. These will occur every other Sunday from July 16 – October 22. The hikes begin at 2 pm. For a list of where each of the hikes will take place and a description of them, contact the National Parks Conservation Association Virginia Program Manager Catharine Gilliam at (540) 460-5105.

VIRGINIA COALITION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT

Frosty Landon, the Virginia Coalition for Open Government Executive Director insisted that two new subcommittees looking into the openness of procedures during public-private partnership proposals. Two legislative staffers are charged with organizing the meetings for the PPEA work groups. Amigo Wade with the Division of Legislative Services is staffing the PPEA work group, and Maria Everett, the Virginia’s Freedom of Information Advisory Council Executive Director will oversee the PPTA work group. For more information, or if you would like to learn more about either, contact the Virginia Coalition for Open Government at www.opengovva.org, (540) 353-8264, Box 3094, Roanoke, VA 24015.

VDACS

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) will host the annual meeting of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) in Norfolk, September 15-20. The VDACS Executive Director J. Carlton Courter III currently serves as president of the NASDA, a nonprofit, nonpartisan association comprised of the top agriculture officials from all 50 states and the territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands. The annual meeting is held every year in the home state of the current NASDA President. For more information contact Elaine J. Lidholm at (804) 786-7686 or log onto www.nasda.org.