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Moving on: Charlottesville City Attorney will not return to the job despite exoneration

Crystal Graham
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Charlottesville’s city attorney was placed on administrative leave in the spring, and despite being exonerated from the claims that allegedly prompted the action, Jacob Stroman announced today he has no plans to return to the job.

Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade and Stroman announced his retirement, effective Sept. 3.

“Mr. Stroman has decided to retire,” Wade said. “The Council appreciates his service as city attorney, including his work on the city’s development code; his leadership in defending the city in litigation including the ongoing lawsuit defending the development code; his work on real estate matters including the Avon-Levy acquisition earlier this year; his efforts assisting the Council with the formation of its successful General Assembly legislative program; and his commitment to insuring the city’s compliance with the Virginia Public Procurement Act and the city’s procurement ordinance.

“We wish him the best in his retirement,” Wade said.

Stroman said in the joint statement that he was grateful for the opportunity to serve the City of Charlottesville.

“The array of legal issues on which I was privileged to work were challenging, important to the continued prosperity of the city and, in many cases, cutting edge,” Stroman said. “While I look forward to retirement, I will miss the practice of local government law to which I have devoted most of my career. I wish council, city administration and the residents of Charlottesville well.”

The Richmond-based firm, Sands Anderson PC, will continue to serve as acting city attorney. The city manager retained its services on April 15 to ensure the city did not fall behind while Stroman was on leave.

Recruitment for a new city attorney will begin in the coming weeks.

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Charlottesville City Attorney on leave; Richmond-based law firm to serve in interim
Published date: April 8, 2024 | 2:45 pm

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.