City manager resigns under political pressure
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The new ultraconservative majority on Waynesboro City Council hasn’t been seated yet, but it is already effectively in charge down at City Hall.
Backroom maneuvering instigated by city-council members Frank Lucente and Tim Williams and Councilman-elect Bruce Allen has pushed city manager Doug Walker to step down from his post effective June 30.
Walker reportedly decided to offer his resignation late last week in a move that had been in the works dating back to the week of the May 6 city elections, when Williams met with Walker to ask him to step down before the new council majority took its seats on July 1.
That request was also made in a subsequent meeting with Lucente and a phone call that took place earlier today with Allen.
City council voted 3-2 Tuesday night to accept Walker’s resignation – with Mayor Tom Reynolds joining Lucente and Williams in the majority. Vice Mayor Nancy Dowdy and Councilwoman Lorie Smith voted no on the matter.
Walker had served as city manager since January 2003. He came to Waynesboro after having served previously as the assistant county administrator in Spotsylvania County.
“This community’s voice has been heard through our recent election. The new council’s voice is being heard through this decision. It is obvious that I do not support the decision to have Mr. Walker leave,” Smith said before the vote, which came after a lengthy closed session at the end of Tuesday’s regular city-council business meeting.
“I do stand ready to assist our city staff in what’s going to be a very, very difficult transition, and to provide Mr. Walker with any assistance that he needs to move on in a graceful manner and with the integrity that he relies on day to day. And also to stay true to the very principles that I will work from, while working with the new council in representing my constituency to the very best of my ability,” Smith said.
No timetable has been set for naming a replacement for Walker. Neither Williams, who is being talked about as the likely successor to Reynolds in the job of mayor, nor Lucente offered comment on the resignation of Walker or the process for hiring a replacement during the council business meeting. Allen was not in attendance at the meeting.
Reynolds, who himself will be leaving city government on June 30, after retiring from city politics following eight years on city council, the last four as mayor, called his vote to accept Walker’s resignation was “the toughest thing I’m going to have to do.”
“Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to fall on my sword for Doug Walker. As much as I don’t want to accept his resignation, I must, so that Doug can leave with the dignity and respect that he’s earned in the six years that he served Waynesboro so admirably,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds later raised issue with the way the move to force Walker out was handled by the new majority, criticizing Allen for going along with Lucente and Williams on the ouster without having taken the opportunity to talk with Walker “about anything.”
“How can you make an informed decision if you don’t even talk to the person that you have an issue with?” Reynolds asked rhetorically.
Dowdy couched her criticism in a quote that she cited from Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James MacGregor Burns. “Many acts heralded or bemoaned as instances of leadership – acts or oratory, manipulation, sheer self-advancement, brute coercion – are not such. Much of what commonly passes as leadership – conspicuous position-taking without followers or follow-through, posturing on various public stages, manipulation without general purpose, authoritarianism – is no more leadership than the behavior of small boys marching in front of a parade, who continue to strut along Main Street after the procession has turned down a side street toward the fairgrounds.”
“Mr. Walker has served Waynesboro above and beyond and deserves much better than he is receiving,” Dowdy said. “I would like to thank him for his outstanding service. I am honored to know such an upstanding individual and wish him the best. Waynesboro is much better for having known him and his family. I in no way support this action or Mr. Walker’s resignation, as I do not feel it is in Waynesboro’s best interest.”
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[...] Bruce Allen have done their counterparts in Gloucester County one better in one key respect, forcing the resignation of city manager Doug Walker before even taking office on July 1. Walker resigned under pressure last [...]
I expect this will be the first of many such departures.
I agree, Donna. This news didn’t surprise me, considering what we’d been hearing before the election. I expect at least some of those that came to Waynesboro under Doug are polishing their resumes.
Walker is a bright and focused man. We have had reasonably strong disagreements over issues about Waynesboro, the Downtown area and issues of selling Waynesboro lock stock and barrel to corporate “big box” America I am not a huge fan of many of Mr. Walker’s programs, we disagree on a lot of things BUT he is more than capable for this position and I am grateful for the talent he brings to Waynesboro.
Frank, Tim, Tom & Bruce…Give some very clear and straight reasons for asking Doug to step down. If this is some political BS agenda you have US the voters to answer to.
Chris, your job is to ask for these specific points and publish them! We want to know the reasons!
What I would like to see NEXT is a published list of SPECIFIC reasons the city council has asked for Mr. Walker’s resignation. What are the issues here??? State them clearly!!! Have the balls to say them in public — not in some back room where everyone agrees!
Is this a budget thing?? I call foul if that is the case. The job of the City Manager is not to write the budget it is the job of the City Council to make this happen.
Given how Mr Walker catered to and participated in the “Back Room” politics of the outgoing majority – “finding” money for the Wayne Theater, etc – I can’t believe anybody would have expected a different outcome.
More importantly Mr Walker’s propensity for a bloated city government, out of control spending and what I believe is more concern for the city’s employees (can you say huge and unnecessary raises) than it’s citizens I don’t think we can afford him any longer.
Bruce, as far your threat of “answering to the voters”, I don’t think you are speaking for the majority given the last election results.
Dowdy, Smith and Reynolds perhaps just learned the meaning of the old saying ‘what goes around comes around’ which was inevitable given their conduct during their reign.