Charlottesville City Council has appointed Chip Boyles to serve as city manager, replacing John C. Blair, who had been serving as the acting city manager since October.
Blair, who had been the city attorney before stepping up to lead the city government organization, is leaving Charlottesville to become the new city attorney in Staunton.
Blair had replaced Tarron Richardson in the city manager role. Richardson resigned on Sept. 30 after a tumultuous 16-month tenure.
Boyles, 58, has served as assistant city manager and city manager in the cities of Taneytown, Md., Hardeeville, S.C., and Clemson, S.C.
Prior to most recently serving seven years as the executive director of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission in Charlottesville, Boyles was the urban development director in the Mayor’s Office of the City/Parish of Baton Rouge, La.
A press release from the city announcing the hire seems to indicate that Boyles’ appointment is short-term. The release notes that the city anticipates launching a public search process for hiring a city manager in 2022.