Another top city official resigns

Story by Chris Graham
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Waynesboro is losing its third top city-government employee in the last four months.

Economic-development director Meghan Williamson submitted her resignation today effective Aug. 8. Williamson had been in the post for two-plus years.

Williamson’s departure comes on the heels of the departures of former city attorney Bob Lunger, who resigned in April, and former city manager Doug Walker, who resigned at the strong urging of the new city-council majority of Tim Williams, Frank Lucente and Bruce Allen in May.

Williamson was instrumental in the effort earlier this year to have a large portion of the city designated a Virginia Enterprise Zone, opening up the provision of cash incentives for job creation and real property investments in Waynesboro – with projects in the enterprise zones in the downtown business district, Basic City, the East Main corridor connecting downtown and Basic City to the Shenandoah National Park, and in the city industrial park eligible for construction grants of up to 20 percent of associated hard construction costs up to a $250,000 cap and job-creation grants of up to $800 per job created for a five-year period.

She was also a key player in several development projects in the West End and most recently in steering the thriving Kline’s Dairy Bar to a Downtown Waynesboro location.

Williamson announced the move to the Waynesboro Economic Development Authority this morning.

“It’s just time,” said Williamson, who does not have any immediate job plans following her departure from City Hall.

City Councilwoman Nancy Dowdy called Williamson’s decision “a big, big loss to the city.”

“Meghan was well-respected in the local business community and her peers across the region and across the state. She will be sorely missed,” Dowdy said.

Dowdy said the city is facing an uncertain future with the jobs of city manager, city attorney and economic-development director open at the current time.

“We’ve lost really our top three people in city government. This is a huge setback,” Dowdy said.