THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 1, 1995 TAG: 9502010456
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Two months into his new job, Suffolk City Manager Myles E. Standish has shaken up the way Suffolk's government is structured.
As of today, three of the city's top administrative positions have been eliminated and three new ones created.
In the process, Public Utilities Director William E. Harrell becomes the city's first African-American assistant city manager.
Standish drastically changed the role of the assistant city manager and eliminated the titles of director of management services and director of community development services.
No one lost a job as a result of these changes. The former assistant city manager, Leon T. Johnson, left the city at the end of December to become a deputy county manager in Henrico County. The job has been vacant since. Standish promoted three of the city's top department heads into the new positions. No recruiting was done outside the city, he said.
The changes include the following promotions:
Harrell, 32, becomes assistant city manager for development. He will earn $55,029, up from his former salary of $51,898.
James G. Vacalis, 55, a 21-year Suffolk employee and director of community development services, becomes assistant city manager for operations. He will continue to earn $70,138.
Cynthia D. Rohlf, 35, director of management services, becomes Suffolk's first assistant to the city manager. She will earn $49,938, up from $43,425.
The director of public utilities position should be filled within the next two months, Standish said.
The new structure is designed to promote teamwork among city departments, emphasize more service to citizens, properly manage growth for the future and make the city's administration smaller but more effective, Standish said.
The reorganization will save about $3,161 a year, Standish said.
Harrell, who came to the city in 1986 as an administrative analyst, will now be responsible for managing and overseeing the city's development departments, including planning, public utilities, economic development, and inspections for building and housing. He will also serve as the city's liaison to the Downtown Suffolk Association, the Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the city assessor's office.
Vacalis, who came to the city in 1973 as planning director, will be responsible for overseeing and managing the city's operational and service departments, including parks, recreation and facility management, the library, social services, public works, and fleet management. He will also serve as city liaison with Western Tidewater Community Services Board, the health department, and the state extension service.
Rohlf, who came to Suffolk in 1986 as an administrative analyst, will help Standish coordinate the city's departments, including police, fire, emergency services, personnel, finance, purchasing and data processing. Rohlf will also continue to oversee her old department, management services.
``Suffolk is not like any other place,'' Standish said. ``There is no other city in Virginia that has this mix of land uses, that is this large and part of a growing metropolitan area. So we ought to have an organization that is innovative and responsive and that can accomplish things that are as unique as Suffolk is itself.''
The new structure is also geared toward enhancing communication between departments, Standish said.
``Departments should never operate in a vacuum,'' he said. ``Ultimately, they affect one another. And as we approach these issues while recognizing that we have a finite amount of resources, I think we'll do it more efficiently and produce a better product.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MICHAEL KESTNER/Staff
James G. Vacalis, left, William E. Harrell and Cynthia D. Rohlf have
been promoted to newly created assistant city manager positions in
Suffolk.
by CNB