ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996                  TAG: 9603010073
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-3  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: |By TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER 

HENRY CO. PICKS PSA MANAGER AS TOP ADMINISTRATOR

Sidney Clower, general manager of Henry County's Public Service Authority for the past five years, was named county administrator by the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday.

He succeeds Bob Lawler, who was fired by the board because of "philosophical differences" three weeks ago.

Clower will continue to direct the PSA - which will remain an independent organization - and will receive an $80,000 annual salary. He was paid $72,000 a year as the authority's general manager.

The cost of Clower's salary and benefits package will be shared by the county board and the PSA's board of directors.

He accepted a one-year contract with an option for renewal.

Supervisor Debra Buchanan said that merging the two jobs will save the county about $77,000 over the length of Clower's contract.

Board Chairman Jack Dalton said of the move: "With negative trends in the local economy which have taken place in recent years - particularly industrial downsizings and changes in the manufacturing base - it is clear we must change in order to move forward. We wholeheartedly embrace that challenge."

James McInerney, chairman of the PSA board, released a statement ensuring the authority's customers that the decision was made with their best interests in mind.

Clower, 44, previously served as county administrator in Pulaski and Buckingham counties.

Buchanan said the board didn't consider Clower's abilities as a county administrator until Lawler was fired.

The board has not discussed specifics about Lawler's termination, but Buchanan faxed a copy of the county's revenues and expenditures from 1992 to 1996 to a reporter Thursday. It shows that the county operated at a surplus until this fiscal year, when a $3 million deficit is expected.

Much of the debt is tied to several large capital improvement projects, including a new Henry County Courthouse.

Clower takes over as county administrator today.

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