Staunton Mayor Andrea Oakes announced Wednesday that City Manager Steve Rosenberg is resigning his position effective immediately.
Why we need the mayor to announce this news for us probably has to do with the reporting last week in the News Leader that had City Council holding a closed meeting to discuss Rosenberg’s future that originally had him getting fired that night.
“City Manager Rosenberg will be remembered for leading the city through one of the most challenging times ever faced by Stauntonians,” Oakes said. “He served in his position with distinction and is leaving our community a better place. While it was time for us to move in a different direction, we wish him luck in his future endeavors.”
Rosenberg began as city manager in 2019, and during his tenure, the city navigated a pandemic, two devastating floods, staffing shortages, disbursement of millions of dollars in federal relief funding, the initial steps in the process of establishing an equity and diversity commission and many other impactful projects and programs.
And yet still, the City Council, which flipped from a progressive majority to a conservative majority led by Oakes in 2020, saw fit to, ahem, accept his resignation.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the City of Staunton for the last eight and one-half years, first as deputy city manager for six years and as city manager for the last two and one-half years,” Rosenberg stated in his letter of resignation.
Rosenberg will receive a severance package in accordance with his employment contract, a copy of which is available to the public upon request.
Assistant City Manager Leslie Beauregard will serve as acting city manager as City Council determines next steps.
Story by Chris Graham
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