10 semifinalists announced for county administrator job

301 Pages·2017·1.51 MB·English

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The Bradenton Herald (Florida)

August 10, 2017 Thursday

10 semifinalists announced for county administrator job

BYLINE: Sara Nealeigh; Bradenton Herald

SECTION: local

LENGTH: 379 words

DATELINE: Bradenton

They hail from as far as Ohio and as close as Clearwater; a list of 10 semifinalists for the open Manatee
County administrator position has been released.
The 10 semifinalists were narrowed from a list of 102 applicants.
The position is currently held by Ed Hunzeker. He was first appointed Manatee County administrator in No-
vember 2006.
In December, county commissioners voted in favor of a national search to find Hunzeker's successor rather
than extending his contract. Hunzeker's current contract expires Jan. 29.
Administrator's responsibilities include overseeing the appointment of personnel and supervision of all de-
partmental operations, according to the executive recruitment semifinal report. The role also includes all
budget preparation, capital improvement planning and implementation that falls under the authority of the
county commissioners.
The 12 departments under the direct supervision of the County Administrator are Building and Development
Services, Neighborhood and Community Services, Convention & Visitors Bureau, Financial Management,
Human Resources, Information Technology, Parks and Natural Resources, Property Management, Public
Safety, Public Works, Redevelopment and Economic Opportunity, and Utilities.
The starting salary is negotiable with a range of $155,708 to $249,142, according to the report.
The 10 semifinalists are:
Daniel Alfonso, of Miami Lakes, city manager of Miami; David Ellis, of Raleigh, N.C., deputy county
manager of Wake County Government; Scott Hechler, of Weeki Wachee, assistant county administrator
and fire chief of Hernando County; Mark Lauzier, of Gig Harbor, Wash., assistant city manager of Tacoma;
Todd Leopold, of Thornton, Colo., former county manager of Adams County, Colo.; Scott Miller, of Medina,
Ohio, county administrator of Medina County; Alyce Robertson of Miami, executive director, Miami Down-
town Development Authority; Marc Ryan, of Land O' Lakes, chief strategy and compliance officer for
MedHOK Inc.; Michael Staffopoulos, of Clearwater, assistant city manager of Largo; Randal Vosburg,
Lakeland, assistant county administrator, Highlands County Board of County Commissioners.
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10 semifinalists announced for county administrator job The Bradenton Herald (Florida) August 10, 2017
Thursday
A full list of the applicants and semi-finalists can be found online.
Sara Nealeigh: 941-745-7081, @saranealeigh

LOAD-DATE: August 10, 2017

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2017 The Bradenton Herald
All Rights Reserved
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Page News and Courier (Luray, Virginia)

December 31, 2015

Leadership shifts, murder charges, downtown momentum included in year's
top headlines;
Top stories of 2015 4. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES

BYLINE: Rebecca Armstrong Staff Writer

SECTION: NEWS; Pg. A1

LENGTH: 2495 words

From a Nov. 3 general election that saw more than 30 Page County contenders vying for more than a dozen
top spots, to the appointment of the county's first female administrator and the departure of several local
leaders, 2015 was a season of change for Page County.
Other 2015 happenings included new businesses and renewed momentum on Main Street, expansion plans
for the Stanley Library and the Page County Technical Center and guilty verdicts for the killers of Joy
Schultz.
Below is a list of the Page News and Courier's Top 10 stories from the year, as chosen by the staff.
#1. FATHER, SON FOUND GUILTY IN SCHULTZ MURDER CASE
Following an eight-day trial in Page County Circuit Court on Oct. 23, a jury recommended George Schultz
and his son, George Schuppan, spend the rest of their lives in prison for the murder of 51-yearold Joy
Schultz -- Shultz's wife
and Schuppan's stepmother. The father and son were convicted of all charges related to the death of the
Shenandoah woman, including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, transporting a
dead body and use of a firearm to commit a murder.
The trial included the father and son taking the stand to each accuse the other of shooting Joy Schultz, who
was last seen alive on Sept.
6, 2014, and who was found buried in Rockingham County off Beldor Road on Oct. 22, 2014.
Prosecutors said the father and son planned to kill Joy Schultz and cash in on her life insurance policy,
though Joy had removed her husband as the primary beneficiary and replaced him with her brother the day
before she disappeared.
The jury also recommended Joy's killers each pay a fine of $100,000 for first-degree murder and serve 10
years in prison for conspiracy, five years for transporting a dead body and three years for using a firearm to
commit a murder, in addition to the recommendation that both serve life in prison.
A sentencing hearing for George Schultz and Schuppan is scheduled for Feb. 8.
Page County saw additional manslaughter and murder charges in 2015. On April 1, Chasity LaVelle Veney,
36, of Luray, was freed after nearly 10 months of incarceration. Following a March 23 indictment for man-
slaughter by a Page County grand jury, Veney entered into an agreed disposition in the June 8, 2014 death
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Leadership shifts, murder charges, downtown momentum included in year's top headlines; Top stories of
2015 4. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES Page News and Courier (Luray, Virginia) December 31, 2015
of her boyfriend, Teddy LaMonte Craig. Forensic evidence indicated that Craig died from a brain hemorrhage
caused by trauma to the head, though the exact cause of the injury remains unknown.
Veney, who pleaded guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter, was sentenced to 10 years, which was
suspended, except for the time she had served since her arrest in June 2014. Veney was additionally or-
dered to pay the costs of her legal proceedings, as well as restitution to the Craig family, totaling about
$10,000.
In November, charges against a 19-year-old in connection with the shooting of a 15-year-old Page County
High School freshman were elevated in Page County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. James Shrad-
er, who was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter, is now charged with second-degree murder and
felony murder in the death of Gwynn Fishel.
Following the Sept. 26 shooting at a Stanley apartment, Fishel was transported to the U.Va. Medical Center
in Charlottesville in critical condition, and later died from her wounds just before 1 a.m. on Sept. 28.
Shrader, who is additionally charged with the reckless handling of a firearm, is scheduled to appear in Ju-
venile and Domestic Relations Court on Monday, Jan. 11.
Also in November, a Page County grand jury handed down six indictments to a Luray man accused of in-
voluntary manslaughter while driving intoxicated. John Wayne Price, 64, is additionally accused of driving
while intoxicated (DWI), reckless driving, hit and run (victim injured) and hit and run (property damage).
The indictments stem from a June 15, 2014 crash at the intersection of routes 340 and 211 in Luray, in
which the operator of a 2002 Harley Davidson, Francis H. Watt Jr., 59, of Gordonsville, died at the scene. A
passenger on the motorcycle, Margaret B. Watt, then 53, was flown to the U.Va. Medical Center in Char-
lottesville in critical condition.
Price additionally is accused of causing bodily injury to another while driving intoxicated that "resulted in
permanent and significant physical impairment" of the victim.
2. GENERAL ELECTION
With Del. Todd Gilbert (R-Woodstock) and Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonburg) both announcing their
re-election bids to the General Assembly in February, the political season seemed to kick off with an early
start -- more than nine months before voters headed to the polls on Nov. 3. But in Page County, the 2015
political season began in fall 2014, when the first flyers, signs and ads began appearing.
To determine its nominations for Commonwealth's Attorney and clerk of the court, the county's GOP held a
party canvass (commonly known as a "firehouse primary") in April -- the first canvass of its kind since 2003,
when Page County Republicans determined their convention vote to elect delegates for senate.
By the June 9 filing deadline, 33 Page County contenders had thrown their hats in the ring in more than a
dozen local races, including constitutional officers, board of supervisors and school board seats in Districts 2,
3 and 4, two Soil and Water Conservation directors for the Shenandoah Valley District, as well as one seat
on both the Luray and Stanley town councils in two special elections.
More than 7,000 Page County voters headed out to the polls for the November general election -- about 47
percent of the county's 15,187 registered voters.
Seven newly elected officials will take their seats this Friday, Jan. 1, including Republican Grayson Marko-
witz, who won a hotly contested race for clerk of the court, in which nine candidates vied for the eight-year
term. Chad Cubbage will take the reins as sheriff, after knocking out Republican incumbent John Thomas in
a three-way race, while Republican Becky Smith, who ran unopposed, will serve as commissioner of reve-
nue, following Charlie Campbell's retirement after more than 35 years.
Political newcomer Mark Stroupe will take the Dist. 3 Supervisors' seat, after securing the position with 60
percent of the Stanley ballots in a four-way race, while Larry Foltz will make the move from the Page County
School Board to serve as the Dist. 4 Supervisor.
The Page County School Board will also see two new faces -- Shawn Printz (Dist. 4) and Rolf Gubler (Dist.
2), who both ran unopposed.
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Leadership shifts, murder charges, downtown momentum included in year's top headlines; Top stories of
2015 4. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES Page News and Courier (Luray, Virginia) December 31, 2015
3. DOWNTOWN MOMENTUM
Luray's Main Street seemed to see revitalization efforts on the upswing in 2015, beginning with a shuffle
and resurgence of Luray Downtown Initiative (LDI). The Virginia Main Street group saw several shifts in key
leadership positions, including the resignations of both its president and program director, as well as the ap-
pointments of longtime LDI board member Nancy Lee Shifflett and former Page News and Courier writer Jeff
McMillan to those roles, respectively.
Through fundraising efforts led by returning board member Starr Johnson, LDI collected nearly $37,000 --
netting nearly $24,000 -- during LDI's inaugural "Pay it Forward" Tailgate Party in September. Johnson addi-
tionally headed up a "One Luray, One Main Street" initiative that collected about $60,000 in five-year pledges
aimed at ensuring a "sustaining plan" for Luray's historic district. That, plus Luray's $30,000 allocation in fis-
cal 2016, secured the organization's staying power following a year in which many questioned its future.
The past year also saw the creation of the merchant group Opportunity Luray, as well as the task force
group Vision Luray, a collaboration between LDI, the county and the town. The organizations formed, at least
in part, in response to several business shuffles on Main Street -- including the closure of Artisan's Grill; the
relocation of Gathering Grounds and the opening of 55 East Main Brew House and Grill in its former location;
several expansion projects at the historic Mimslyn Inn; the renovation and reopening of the 131-year-old Ho-
tel Laurance; and the utilization of the former Schewel Furniture Store for the first time in nearly 20 years by
the Inspiring Dreams dance studio.
Two longtime Page residents were appointed to top leadership positions in the county in 2015 -- a year that
many news outlets have deemed "The Year of Women."
In February the board of supervisors made history when it unanimously tapped Amity Moler as the next
county administrator -- the first woman to hold the position. The assistant administrator and 13-year county
employee was selected from a pool of
County following the resignation of Mark Lauzier in July 2014.
In October, Page County native Gina Hilliard was named Interim President of the Luray-Page County
Chamber of Commerce, following the resignation of nearly three-year president John Robbins, who stepped
down in order to be closer to family in North Carolina. Hilliard became involved with the local chamber in
2009, when she joined the organization's board of directors. In January 2012 she began serving as the
chamber's office manager, a role she held for about a year until becoming director of operations and events
and tourism marketing.
5. EVENTS/TOURISM ON THE RISE
The county saw increased visitation, spending and all-time high Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) funds in
the past year.
In January the Virginia Tourism Corp. ranked Luray Caverns the most-viewed state attraction, according to
a "Top 20" list posted to the Virginia.org website. With about half-a-million visitors each year, the local land-
mark is the fifth most-visited paid tourist site in the state.
President and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corp. Rita D. McClenney and Virginia State Secretary of Com-
merce and Trade Maurice Jones stopped by the Mimslyn Inn in April to meet with Page County leaders dur-
ing a roundtable discussion on tourism. The event coincided with VTC delivering a ceremonial check for
$25,000 -- matching grant money received by the local chamber of commerce in February for outdoor ad-
venture events. The Chamber brought more than $100,000 to the table for the outdoor efforts, much of which
the Chamber picked up through the county's TOT fund. The "lodging tax" -- 5 percent of the total amount
paid for room, cabin and campground rentals outside of a town limit in Page County -- reached an all-time
high in fiscal 2015, totaling more than $730,000.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced in September that Virginia visitors generated $22.4 billion in revenue in
2014, up 4 percent from 2013. Page County also captured a bigger chunk of the tourism industry -- visitors to
the county generated $63.6 in 2014, up 2.7 percent from the year before. Since 2010, tourist spending in
Page has risen more than 12 percent.
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Leadership shifts, murder charges, downtown momentum included in year's top headlines; Top stories of
2015 4. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES Page News and Courier (Luray, Virginia) December 31, 2015
6. TECH CENTER EXPANSION
If all goes according to plan, the Page County Technical Center will debut a new, 9,000-squarefoot health
and science center in the coming year, after the $400,000 expansion project was announced in March. With
the exterior construction now complete, the school system is currently raising funds to furnish the new cen-
ter, in part through a partnership with Lord Fairfax Community College. LFCC's Luray-Page County Center
plans to utilize the new center's science lab.
In September, LFCC earmarked funds raised during the third installment of its "Evening with the Stars"
event for the project. The Sept. 10 event featured guest speaker Dr. Craig Mello. The 2006 recipient of the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is the brother of Tech Center Principal Roger Mello.
7. MAIN STREET BRIDGE DELAYED
Luray merchants who feared that the multi-million dollar West Main Street Bridge construction would stifle
downtown business can postpone their worries, after the project was delayed by a year. The 1934 bridge
was scheduled to be reconstructed in 2016. The project was instead pushed back till 2017, said town offi-
cials, due to "paperwork and bureaucracy" -- a process that began three-and-a-half years ago.
A public hearing is slated for the start of 2016 for community members to weigh-in on the $2 million grant
project, although the delayed timeframe could potentially jeopardize those federal funds. Luray must addi-
tionally match the 80-20 grant with about $1.64 million.
8. LURAY RAILWAY MUSEUM OPENS
More than 15 years in the making, the town's 1881 train depot station was officially resurrected as a living
museum in June, when a ribbon cutting ceremony united county officials and rail enthusiasts.
While the facility laid dormant for two decades in the restored Luray Train Station on Campbell Street -- also
home to the Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce -- local businesses and supporters donated thou-
sands of dollars to museum efforts led by the Page County Railroad Club.
The museum features an interior and lighting made to resemble the 1930s and '40s, while a permanent ex-
hibit includes a model train and a history of railroading in Page. The museum site sits next to an active Nor-
folk and Southern railroad.
9. KIBLER LIBRARY MAKES 'ROOM FOR MORE'
The William "Bill" Kibler Memorial Library reached the halfway point of its fundraising campaign in 2015 for a
children's expansion project. The $250,000 "Room for More" capital fundraising campaign will add more than
1,400 square feet to the building on Stanley's Main Street.
The all-volunteer board announced expansion plans in fall 2014, about three years after the library reo-
pened as a nonprofit organization, thanks to a grassroots effort. The Massanutten Regional Library dropped
the facility from its system in 2010.
The new children's area is set to include a craft area, kid-friendly furnishings, a new checkout desk, as well
as room for Stanley and Page County displays featuring local memorabilia.
10. STANLEY WELL ISSUE RESOLVED
After about two decades of on-again, off-again discussions, town and county officials in March got to the
bottom of Well No. 7. Stanley officials said the replacement well was once promised to them by former su-
pervisors after the well compromised following the closure of the Stanley Landfill and the opening of the Bat-
tle Creek Landfill.
The unfinished well was dug in 2007 on property owned by the Page County Economic Development Au-
thority in a field across from the Page County Animal Shelter, but was put on hold when plans materialized
for an industrial park ( "Project Clover") that was created to house a state-of-the-art data center ( "Project
Braveheart"). When plans for the long-promised data processing plant fell by the wayside in 2011, Stanley's
well -- which would have been funded by a state grant through the planned construction -- was abandoned.
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Leadership shifts, murder charges, downtown momentum included in year's top headlines; Top stories of
2015 4. ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES Page News and Courier (Luray, Virginia) December 31, 2015
Following several meetings that began in September, the county handed over the general warranty deed to
Well No. 7 and its equipment, as well as the surrounding one-acre lot. According to the March 19 agreement,
Stanley in turn must complete the well within five years.

LOAD-DATE: February 27, 2017

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

GRAPHIC: AUG. 28 -- Owner Melinda Kramer stands in the hallway of the new Hotel Laurance alongside an
advertisement listing rooms for $2 per day, when it first opened in 1884. J.F. McMillan / Page News and
Courier NOV. 3 -- Danny Presgraves (from left), Mark Stroupe, Mollee McWhorter and J.D. Cave stand out-
side the District 3 polling place on Election Day. Rebecca Armstrong / Page News and Courier SCHULTZ
SCHUPPAN NOV. 3 -- Chad Cubbage stands outside the District 2 polls at the Luray VFW on Election Day.
Rebecca Armstrong / Page News and Courier SEPT. 26 -- Jeff McMillan, the new program director for the
Luray Downtown Initiative (above), hands out a $5,000 check to the winner of the Tailgate Party's raffle at
the Luray Singing Tower -- the "Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Campbell Thunder," which is raising funds for
a bagpipe and drum corps. Contributed photo

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2015 Byrd Newspapers
Distributed by Newsbank, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington)

June 16, 2015 Tuesday

Tacoma council approves agreements with Pierce County and other area jails

BYLINE: Kate Martin; Staff writer

LENGTH: 314 words

The Tacoma City Council unanimously approved four contracts with area jails to house city misdemeanor
inmates.
Previously the city used the services of the city of Fife, which acted as a broker to send inmates to jails
around the state that had space and wanted the money.
Defense attorneys for inmates said last year that they had trouble speaking with clients in far-flung jails,
some in Eastern Washington.
The agreements authorized Tuesday are expected to save money, Assistant City Manager Mark Lauzier
said.
Under the new contracts , the Pierce County Jail will house inmates awaiting trial. Those inmates require
more frequent access to the court system and their attorneys. Tacoma will pay Pierce County $75.80 per
inmate per day, down from the $85-per-day fee the city paid in 2012.
Once inmates are sentenced for crimes, they will stay in a jail operated by the Nisqually Indian Tribe near
Olympia.
It will take time for the Pierce County Jail to hire enough staff to manage the 75 inmates Tacoma will eventu-
ally house there. Tacoma will pay Pierce County $600,000 through the end of the year to cover overtime
costs for jail deputies until the county can hire more staff. The money also will renovate a "pod" at the county
jail where about 75 inmates would be housed.
The Fife jail will house inmates through the end of this month, according to a contract extension the council
passed Tuesday. After that, the city will send inmates to the South Correctional Entity, or SCORE, in Des
Moines, a jail that will charge $97 per day.
By the end of this year or start of the next, about half of the city's inmates will reside in the Pierce County
Jail, and the other half will be in the Nisqually Indian Tribe's facility.
Fife will continue to manage inmates who are sentenced to electronic home monitoring, Lauzier said.
Kate Martin: 253-597-8542 [email protected] @KateReports

LOAD-DATE: June 17, 2015

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper
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Tacoma council approves agreements with Pierce County and other area jails The News Tribune (Tacoma,
Washington) June 16, 2015 Tuesday
Copyright 2015 The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington)
All Rights Reserved
Page 10

4 of 143 Documents

The Olympian (Olympia, Washington)

June 10, 2015 Wednesday

Tacoma inmates may return to Pierce jail

BYLINE: Kate Martin; Staff writer

LENGTH: 768 words

Tacoma could once again house low-level criminal defendants downtown in the Pierce County Jail if city and
council leaders give the nod later this month.
The deal comes nearly two and half years after Tacoma began sending its inmates to Fife instead of the
county jail. At the time, the city estimated it would save about 30 percent of its $6 million annual jail bill by
contracting with Fife, which acts as a broker for Tacoma's inmates.
After the county and Tacoma parted ways, Pierce County closed 262 jail beds and laid off 16 corrections
deputies to reduce costs.
Fife sends Tacoma's inmates to several other jails around the state, including to Yakima and Wapato in
Eastern Washington. Now Tacoma could cut out the middle man and hire its own staffer to manage the dis-
tribution of inmates among three jails.
The Tacoma City Council could vote on contracts next week with three area jails: Pierce County, a jail owned
by the Nisqually Indian Tribe near Olympia, and the South Correctional Entity, or SCORE, in Des Moines.
"This started because the costs at the Pierce County Jail were escalating whenever a contract came up (for
renewal)," Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland said. "We are trying a more regional approach to this. We
ended in a good place."
The county jail would hold most or all of Tacoma's inmates prior to their sentencing -- and for less than Ta-
coma was paying Pierce County prior to 2013. A city is responsible to pay jail costs for those charged with
committing misdemeanor crimes within the city.
Under the proposed contract, Tacoma would pay Pierce County $75.80 per inmate per day, down from the
$85-per-day fee the city paid in 2012.
Kevin Phelps, the deputy county executive, called it a "break-even rate."
Gary Robinson, Pierce County budget and finance director, said Tacoma will pay the county only what it
costs to add inmates to the jail. For instance, the jail will buy more food and uniforms to care for Tacoma's
inmates. Those extra costs are built into the rate Tacoma will pay.
Other costs, like the debt owed for the jail and the cost of salaries for jail administrators, which could normal-
ly be used to calculate a per-day jail rate, will remain the same whether Tacoma moves inmates in or not.
Those costs are not included in the rate, Robinson said.
The daily rate covers basic medical care in the jail, but if an inmate needs urgent or outside medical atten-
tion, Tacoma must pay that cost.
The county jail also charges a fee to book inmates into the jail. That amount has dropped from $212 in the
previous agreement to $50 in the current proposal.