Local Government, Civic Affairs and Education
Photo: Roanoke Co.
Roanoke County Administrator Dan O’Donnell will retire next winter, completing a career in public management that goes back 35 years, the last 21 of them in Roanoke County. O’Donnell was named Assistant County Administrator in 2000 and then appointed County Administrator in January 2019. He counts among his most satisfying memories in the assistant’s role as those involving major building projects:
O’Donnell says one of his proudest accomplishments in his county administrator’s role is really a countywide one of navigating through early months of COVID-19:
Dan O’Donnell has held government administrative posts for 35 years in all, the last 21 in Roanoke County. The county’s board of supervisors must now determine the process to select his successor.
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NEWS RELEASE: August 23, 2021 – Roanoke County Administrator Dan O’Donnell today announced that he will be retiring after more than 21 years of service in Roanoke County. O’Donnell notified the Board of Supervisors of his intent to retire, effective February 1, 2022. “Working alongside our dedicated employees has been rewarding and we have accomplished so much, together, f or the betterment of our community,” said O’Donnell. “I am honored to have had the support of the Board of Supervisors and privileged to serve the citizens as their administrator. I’m now looking forward to the next phase of my life.”
O’Donnell has worked in public management for 35 years, serving over 21 years in Roanoke County. He began as an Assistant County Administrator in 2000 and then was appointed County Administrator in January 2019. Prior to coming to Roanoke County, he served as the administrator for counties in New York and West Virginia. O’Donnell oversaw development of the County’s first-ever Community Strategic Plan to guide policy, budget decisions, and service delivery choices. He served as the project manager for the $30 million Green Ridge Recreation Center and the $28 million Public Safety Center construction projects. O’Donnell has overseen the passage of the first compensation study and step pay plan for public safety personnel, to recruit and retain talented employees. He has also led the County’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
“Dan has been a tremendous asset for Roanoke County,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Jason Peters. “He has helped shape the strategic direction of the County and led through some very challenging times. His leadership and guidance are greatly appreciated and we hope he enjoys a well-deserved retirement.” The Board of Supervisors will determine the next steps in hiring a new County Administrator.
Mayor Sherman Lea Sr. (left) live in studio
Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea discussed efforts by the city to address gun violence during a live interview here on the Roanoke Valley’s Morning News. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Click below to hear the complete in-studio interview:
T
he latest census count makes it official — Roanoke City’s population is once again above 100,000 for the first time in 40 years, and city officials expect the rebound to continue. You have to go back to 1980 for the last time census figures had Roanoke at 100,000 or more; for the next two decades, it was a gradual slide to less than 95,000 before the numbers started climbing again. Mayor Sherman Lea says without a doubt, efforts to revitalize Roanoke’s downtown and encourage new housing there have played key roles in the turnaround, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports:
US Census figures for Roanoke City:
1980 — 100,220
1990 — 96,397
2000 — 94,911
2010 — 97,032
2020 — 100,011
After 30 years of service to the children and citizens in the City of Salem, School Division Superintendent, Dr. Alan Seibert, is retiring, effective September 30. Seibert’s retirement request was accepted by the School Board at its monthly meeting on Tuesday night. “It would be impossible to appropriately thank all of the people who made my 30-year career in Salem City Schools possible,” says Seibert. “This community embraced a transplanted Yankee from New Jersey, nurtured him and gave him opportunities to lead in both the classroom and in administration. My family and I are eternally grateful for the trust that was placed in me for three decades.” Seibert began his Salem journey as a college student in 1990 when he spent time at Salem High School as a student teacher. His first administrative role in 1996 came when he was named an assistant principal at Andrew Lewis Middle School.
Ian price photo
Melvin Hill announced his campaign as the democratic nominee for Commonwealth’s attorney of Roanoke City, today. Hill said he is focusing his campaign on preventing crimes, with more intervention programs and education. Hill is running for a second time against incumbent Don Caldwell, who hasn’t formally announced his campaign. Caldwell is running as independent in this election. Hill previously served as Assistant Commonwealth’s attorney and he ran for Commonwealth’s attorney in 2017.
Gov. Ralph Northam
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has asked state lawmakers to leave intact a spending plan for $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief money that his administration helped craft and to reject bipartisan changes the Senate is seeking.
In an email to members of a conference committee assigned to work on a compromise bill, State Finance Secretary Joe Flores said the governor is seeking a “quick resolution to the few outstanding items to ensure these resources are put to work for Virginians as soon as possible.”
“As such, he is asking for a bill with no amendments — fiscal or policy — reflecting the agreement we negotiated and hammered out prior to the beginning of this special session,” Flores wrote in the email, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.
Northam’s spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, declined to comment. “We’ll just let the email speak for itself,” she said.
The budget plan, as written by Northam and fellow Democrats, sets aside about $800 million to use later as the state continues to deal with the pandemic’s impact on the economy. In his email, Flores cites the recent surge in COVID-19 cases spurred by the delta variant. “Therefore, it is imperative that no amendments are included in the final agreement that spend down the $800 million set aside for future COVID-related needs,” he wrote.
The Virginia House and Senate gave initial approval Wednesday to the budget legislation, each passing slightly different bills.
The House passed the bill without changes. In the Senate, the chamber passed the bill with a handful of amendments after angry protests from Republicans who said they had been shut out of the budget process and not given a chance to fully debate its provisions.
The bills both call for spending most of Virginia’s $4.3 billion share of the American Rescue Plan funding on initiatives aimed at helping small businesses, improving air quality in public schools, bolstering mental health and substance-abuse treatment, increasing broadband access and replenishing the state’s unemployment trust fund.
Among the amendments approved by the Senate was one that would give staff of sheriffs offices and regional jails a one-time $5,000 bonus. The spending plan as introduced already included $5,000 bonuses for state police.
In his email, Flores said the governor is asking that the final bill not include additional bonuses for law enforcement or an extension of a 12.5% increase in rates for Medicaid home- and community-based services that care for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, another amendment that was approved by the Senate.
“We have committed to examine and address these issues in the next few months as we prepare the Governor’s 2022-24 biennial budget, and we pledge to work with you on these important funding issues,” Flores wrote.
Another amendment approved by the Senate would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to return to allowing walk-in service for transactions at its customer service centers throughout the state. Because of the pandemic, the DMV instituted an appointment-only system for in-person services. The chamber also voted to effectively strip language from the budget that dealt with allowing student-athletes to earn compensation for the use of their name, image or likeness. Republicans argued the issue shouldn’t be dealt with through budget legislation in a special session where there is little room for debate or public input. Those amendments were not specifically mentioned in Flores’ email.
Senate Republican Leader Tommy Norment said the administration’s “inflexibility” was stunning. “That position is so disrespectful, if not bordering on disgusting, as it shuns Medicaid providers and law enforcement again,” Norment said.
Sen. Emmett Hanger, a member of the conference committee and the only Senate Republican who voted in favor of the amended spending plan, said the committee is in the process of finalizing a compromise package he believes will get wide support from lawmakers and from Northam.
“I think when the dust settles, he will not object to what we are doing,” Hanger said.
“We’re embracing some of the amendments and modifying some of the amendments, and for some, we’ve found other ways of accomplishing the intended purpose of the amendment,” he said. He declined to discuss specifics of the plan.
Democratic Sen. Janet Howell, chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment
Botetourt County says it has experienced a high COVID-19 community transmission rate recently, and with the recent CDC updated guidelines for K-12 schools due to the highly contagious Delta variant, Botetourt County Public Schools will now require masks for all students, staff, teachers, and visitors – regardless of vaccination status. This requirement applies to all upcoming open houses, orientations, and other gatherings prior to the start of the school year. The school system also says they are abiding by the new state law Governor Northam referred to yesterday.
