Transcription
Town council
on better footing
By Aileen M. Streng
Staff Writer
DUMFRIES - The mood in
Dumfries is a lot lighter these days.
Last fall angry crowds packed
town council meetings. They complained
about council infighting.
They complained about council
inaction. They complained about
stormwater management, indecision
over proposed changes to
mobile home parks and the status
of the police chief.
And they weren't the only ones
complaining. Council members
did too - about staff and each
other. Town staff was grilled and
sometimes berated by residents
and council members. Several
staff members resigned.
There also was the battle over
former town manager Mike Riley.
Some members of the polarized
town council tried on two
occasions to fire Riley. He eventually
quit before another attempt
could occur.
Today, however, none of these
things happen anymore in
Dumfries and two men - the
interim town managers - are
being credited with the change.
"They are two fine gents. We'll
be sad to see them leave," Bray
said. "They came to help us out
and they did just that."
Interim Town Manager Tom
Huggard of Culpeper and town
manager consultant Brack Bentley
of Front Royal have been sharing
the duties of running the town of
Dumfries for the past five months.
Huggard and Bentley are
retired town managers with a
combined 25 years of experience.
They were recommended to the
See COUNCIL, Page A3
Town council
on better footing
COUNCIL From Page A1
town by the Virginia Municipal
League.
With the hiring a permanent
town manager pending, it's time
for the men to move on. Huggard
will leave the town today. Bentley
will stay on in a more limited
capacity until the new manager is
on board and established.
Councilwoman Stephanie
Bradley described the atmosphere
in the town as rough when
Huggard and Bentley arrived.
"It was a bit of an 'us against
them' situation," Bradley said,
referring to the relationship
between the town council and
town staff.
"Staff and council are now on
a level where we can discuss
things," Bradley said. "That wasn't
there before.
"We are doing much better
now than we were in July,"
Bradley said. "Things are finally
getting done."
Huggard and Bentley "brought
dignity to the town," Bradley said.
"One of the biggest things
we've done is restore communication
between the town staff and
the town manager and the council,"
Huggard said.
Huggard and Bentley developed
a weekly report system so that all
council members are informed of
activities within the town.
"A lot of what people were seeing
before was born out of frustration,
particularly in the area of
communication," Huggard said.
Bentley said the council was
committed to working out its differences
before he and Huggard
arrived. Also, the council was
ready to listen to the advice that
experienced managers had to offer.
"They have picked up on the
idea that 'we want to do what's
best for this town but we can't do
that if we are fighting amongst
ourselves," Bentley said.
"Brack and I were asked to tell
it like it is and we've done that,"
Huggard said. "We tried to help
them change the way they react
and interact with each other."
The council "has been very
receptive," Huggard said. "This is
a council with a strong desire to
do what's right. They care deeply
about this town."
"They still have their own ideas.
They don't blindly follow each
other, but they are more closely
associated," Bentley said. "Now I
see a more cohesive council."
"They have come together and
are doing a great job," Bentley
said. "They are a much better
team than they were before."
"Everybody is beginning to gel
a bit," said Mayor Chris Brown.
"We are seeing our council-manager
form of government working.
We're moving forward."
Bentley and Huggard "are a credit
to their industry," Brown said.
- Aileen Streng can be
reached at (703) 878-8010 or
astreng@potomacnews.com.Transcriber
Adam KitchenLanguage
English