Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 11, 1990                   TAG: 9006110126
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER SOUTHWEST BUREAU
DATELINE: ABINGDON                                LENGTH: Medium

NEW LEADER WON'T SHY FROM DISPUTE

The vote was like many other key board decisions this year - 4-3.

But that does not seem to bother Bentley any more than the 12-hour days he has put in.

"That's just part of the job. I knew exactly what I was getting into and I'm tickled to death to be here," he said.

As for the split decision on his hiring, he said, "I don't have any problem with that. When you get into governments and so forth . . . you always have controversy, and controversies are healthy. It's how you manage that controversy."

Bentley succeeds Dan Collins, who resigned under pressure from four of the seven supervisors. Since then, other officials have left, including the county planner and attorney.

A Washington County resident for 33 years, he is a 1955 Emory & Henry College graduate. He joined Sperry Corp. in Bristol in 1958. He stayed until 1987 after the company - now Unisys - closed the plant. Until 1988, he worked on building a company to produce commercial and military printed circuits in the former Sperry building.

"I am applying for Washington County administrator because my experience managing a large industrial facility can and should be applied to our county government," he said in his letter of application.

Besides applying his experience to county matters, he said, his goals include creating trust between taxpayers and government and keeping the county "conservative, yet progressive."

He said he is a believer in economic growth but lists education as his top priority because companies will not locate where the educational system does not turn out qualified employees. He also said he wants the county to work with existing industries because that is where most new jobs come from.

"We have to have a master plan, and we have to agree that this is the direction the majority of the Board of Supervisors wants to take," he said.

He sees his job as providing as much data as possible on matters the board must decide. "We generally make good decisions if we have good facts," he said.

And if the board continues haggling over its key decisions for the future?

"That's the way every government is and, because there is disagreement, it's not bad," he said. "It keeps you on the ball."