strangers, and at least one former foe.
Alexander Hamilton, who was an avowed anti Jeffersonian,
finally swayed the New York delegation to vote for the Sage of
Monticello. Seems that as much as he disliked Jefferson,
he had an even greater loathing for his neighbor from New York,
Aaron Burr. In 1804 that fatal relationship came to a
sudden and tragic end on a dueling field in New Jersey.
ADDENDA
After last issue was published, we
heard from readers about extra information. For starters,
we apologize for the typo at the end of Heather
Browning’s article, Blacksburg Alert: Reinventing the
Service of Local Government Communication. For those
wishing to get into contact with her, her correct e-mail
address is Hbrowning@blacksburg.gov.
Tedd Povar would also like to add to
his article in last issue titled Interim Administrators:
Band Aids for Local Governments. He recently wrote
to us, “I want to note in the next issue of the Virginia
Review that the article failed to note the tenure of Jack
Gross, former city manager of Bedford, [who has] service as
interim manager in Buena Vista, one of the earliest tenures by
a VLGMA (Virginia Local Government Management Association)
range rider in that capacity. Jack retired after 17 years
at the helm in Bedford, and noted that what was originally
described as sitting in as city manager of Buena Vista for a
‘few weeks’ became six months. He noted that
‘just holding the fort’ isn’t his style (a
common thread among all interims) and he dove into a number of
major internal and external infrastructure and administrative
projects. He stated that retired managers bring with them
‘a trunk packed with experience’ and that know how
can be extremely valuable to another community. He said,
‘Forts can not only be held, but they can easily be
improved and strengthened, and that’s a process
that’s good for the civilians, the troops, and the
commanding officers.’”
John Kines, former Prince George
County Administrator, and now the chair of the Commission on
Local Government wrote to tell us that Frank Raflo, who we
wrote about in the last issue, will be greatly missed as chair
of that commission. According to John, Frank Raflo
“is a legend in local government in Virginia.”
He
especially made note of Frank’s long
record of service for Virginia government and the commission.
John said, “he was the longest serving member of
the Commission on Local Government.”
HAIL AND FAREWELL
Our colleague Herb H. Hill, the
associate director of the Department of Planning and Budget, as
well as longtime contributor to the Virginia
Review wrote us in August to announce his news. According to his note, “I am leaving Virginia state service ... to accept a position of managing director of planning, policy, and communications with the Virginia Housing Development Authority.
Review wrote us in August to announce his news. According to his note, “I am leaving Virginia state service ... to accept a position of managing director of planning, policy, and communications with the Virginia Housing Development Authority.
“It has certainly been a
pleasure working with each of you, some for many, many years to
further the cause of good government and the public service.
Hopefully, the work each of us leaves behind will serve
as a foundation for those who follow us and that collectively
we leave this world a better place than we found it.”
For those who wish to contact Herb
and wish him best, his new e-mail address is
Herb.Hill@VHDA.com. Herb’s loss to the state will
be profound, and the VHDA should be congratulated on their
great success in landing such a capable individual.
We were saddened to read on
September 17 that former Virginia Association of Counties and
Virginia Municipal League President, and former chair of the
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Martha Virginia Pennino
died after battling Parkinson’s disease.
