It doesn’t seem that anybody wants to be the city manager in Charlottesville, which is cycling through another candidate post-Aug. 11-12, 2017.
Michael C. Rogers, the interim city manager since January 2022, has informed city staff that he is no longer a candidate for the permanent position, which is expected to be filled by Charlottesville City Council this month.
Rogers is the sixth person to serve as city manager – either as an interim or supposed permanent – since 2018.
A seventh person, Marc Wooley, withdrew before beginning a term as an interim city manager.
The revolving door in the City Hall is the direct result of the Aug. 11-12, 2017, Unite the Right rally. The then-city manager, Maurice Jones, who had led city government dating back to 2010, ended up stepping down in 2018, part of the fallout from the deadly rally, in which one counterprotestor was killed, along with two Virginia state troopers.
A report led by former U.S. Attorney Tim Heaphy was sharply critical of the city’s handling of the rally, finding that that the Charlottesville Police Department had failed to adequately prepare for its events, had a flawed plan of response, and was not properly trained.
The city has struggled in the years since to pick up the pieces, most evident by the inability of City Council to be able to retain a city manager.
Rogers came on in January 2022 when the city contracted with Robert Bobb Group LLC, a Washington, D.C.,-based consulting firm, to fill the open city manager position while the City Council began its latest search for a full-timer.
Rogers brought 30 years of local government experience to the job, including stints as a city administrator in Washington, D.C., and chief operating officer of Petersburg, Va.
He cited “personal priorities” that he said require returning home to D.C. in his announcement that he will not seek the Charlottesville job full time.
“Serving as Interim City Manager has been challenging, rewarding, and quite busy, but I owe you all so much for helping to achieve everything in that time,” Rogers said in the statement.
According to a press release from the city, Rogers expects to remain in service until City Council appoints a permanent city manager.
City Council has recently stated that its narrowed its search and expects to announce a decision on the next city manager in mid-July.
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Chris Graham
