ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 24, 1996 TAG: 9607240023
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors has hired a new county attorney.
Martin M. McMahon, 34, assistant city attorney for Chesapeake, will join the county staff Sept. 1.
McMahon has been in his present position for just more than six years. He also worked for the Tidewater Legal Aid Society in Virginia Beach for one year.
McMahon saw the move to Montgomery County as a logical career move. He also said he and his wife were impressed with the area.
"I like the small-town atmosphere," he said, and also the proximity of Virginia Tech.
McMahon received his law degree from George Mason University.
Supervisors Chairman Henry Jablonski said McMahon was selected from 10 or 11 applicants, two of whom received formal interviews.
McMahon's hiring was announced Monday, and his salary will be $58,000.
"I think they felt that he was a capable person and he seemed to have a good background and seemed to have a good presence before the board," Jablonski said of the supervisors' decision to hire McMahon. The board also was impressed with McMahon's knowledge of the area.
"He seemed real interested in the area. He had done a great deal of homework " and was familiar with county issues such as the "smart" road before the board ever brought the matters up, Jablonski said.
He replaces Roy Thorpe, who left Montgomery County May 31 to become city attorney for Falls Church. Thorpe had been the county's legal adviser since 1984.
McMahon and County Administrator Betty Thomas are the county's top two employees who report directly to the Board of Supervisors.
In other business, the supervisors:
* Unanimously approved Larry Smith's request to rezone .76 acres in the Prices Fork community from agricultural to community business for a small farming supply store. Smith's request had been held up by complaints from nearby residents that the map of the proposed area included a road not owned by Smith. Robert Brown and Smith have resolved their differences, with Smith excluding a 15-foot strip along Mill Lane from his request and conveying ownership to Brown.
* Authorized Sheriff Doug Marrs to purchase 40 protective vests for $14,400 for deputies to replace worn and out-of-warranty vests. The bullet-proof vests need to be replaced every five years, Marrs said.
* Moved their Aug. 12 meeting to Aug. 14. The date was changed to allow the supervisors to attend the Local Government Officials Conference Aug. 11-13 in Charlottesville.
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