[Archived] Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson annunces March 1 Retirement


News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Monday, September 13, 1999
Contact:	Angelita Plemmer, City Manager's Office, (703) 838-4300

Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson annunces March 1 Retirement
Lawson's Departure Ends 15-Year Tenure as City Manager and 28 Years of Public Service Work

Alexandria City Manager Vola Lawson announced today plans to step down from the City's top post, effective March 1, 2000, ending nearly three decades of public service.

When Mrs. Lawson was appointed to the post in 1985, she became the third woman in America to serve as a City Manager in cities with a population of 100,000 or more. She is the first woman to have ever held the position in Alexandria and when she retires on March 1, she will have served 15 years, which is the longest tenure of any City Manager in the City's 250-year history and one of the longest tenures in the State.

"Vola has served this community in a number of capacities, most notably as City Manager," Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley said. "Vola has been an exceptional leader and the consummate professional.

"She leaves this City in excellent fiscal condition, having helped secure Triple-A bond ratings from Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service --- Wall Street's major credit rating agencies," Donley said.

"I am deeply saddened by her departure," he added. "Her devotion to this community and commitment to excellence for the people in this community are unequaled by any other public servant."

As City Manager, Mrs. Lawson serves as the chief executive officer of the City, which has a $361.4 million overall budget and more than 2,000 employees. The City Manager prepares and submits the annual operating budget and capital improvement program and is responsible for their administration after adoption; prepares monthly and annual fiscal and activity reports; and appoints all City department heads and employees. In addition, the City Manager plans, organizes, directs and coordinates all activities of City government; is responsible for developing the docket and related materials; attends all meetings of City Council; and advises Council on the financial condition and future needs of the City.

"I will always be grateful to have been part of a City team devoted to the highest standards of public service," Mrs. Lawson said. "I've had the privilege of working for four outstanding mayors during my time as City Manager --- Charles Beatley, Jr., James P. Moran, Patricia Ticer and Kerry J. Donley.

"I have worked for five City Councils and City employees for whom I have great admiration and respect.," Mrs. Lawson said. "Alexandria is a great City. I feel privileged to have been a part of it for almost 30 years."

In addition to her duties as City Manager, Mrs. Lawson serves as president of the Alexandria Transit Company, which operates the City's DASH bus system. Mrs. Lawson also is a member of the Virginia General Assembly's Commission on the Condition and Future of Virginia Cities and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Inc. Board.

Since Mrs. Lawson moved to Alexandria in 1965, she has been a driving force for progress and change in Alexandria and in local government. Before coming to work for the City government, Mrs. Lawson was active in the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1960s. She and her husband David also organized the Parkfairfax Citizens Association in the late 1960s.

Mrs. Lawson chaired the Ad Hoc Commission on the Status of Women in the early 1970s, which led to the establishment of the Office on Women. The office runs the City's Domestic Violence Program, the Sexual Assault Response Awareness Program and coordinates the City's annual Walk to Fight Breast Cancer, which was initiated in 1995 by Vola Lawson's Committee on Breast Cancer Awareness.

In 1971, Mrs. Lawson began her City career with the Economic Opportunities Commission, writing grants and working closely with neighborhood residents in their communities. In 1975, she was promoted to head the Community Development Block Grant Program and to start the City's Office on Housing. In February 1985, City Council selected Mrs. Lawson as the Acting City Manager. Seven months later, after a national search, Mrs. Lawson was appointed City Manager in September 1985.

Mrs. Lawson has received numerous accolades and awards for her public service achievements: In 1997, Mrs. Lawson was honored by the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) with its National Award for Innovative Leadership and Accomplished Professionalism.

In 1993, the City and Mrs. Lawson were honored by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) with the Public Safety Excellence Award. The City was chosen for its implementation of community partnerships for crime prevention, including a series of programs designed to reduce drug-related and other crimes. That same year, Mrs. Lawson was inducted into the Virginia Women's Hall of Fame.

Mrs. Lawson also has received numerous community awards, including the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce's George Washington Leadership Award, the Urban League's Northern Virginia Community Service Award, the Elizabeth Ann Campagna Award from the Campagna Center for improving early childhood opportunities for children in the City, the Alexandria Commission on Women Award for Outstanding Achievement in Housing, the Distinguished Service Award from the Alexandria Olympic Boys and Girls Club and the Alexandria-Washington Masonic Lodge's Community Builders Award.

This past March, Mrs. Lawson received appreciation awards from the Alexandria Black History Resource Center, the Parker-Gray Alumni Association and the Society for the Preservation of Black Heritage.

Mrs. Lawson and her husband David have been City residents for 34 years, the last 25 years as residents of the North Ridge community.

They have two grown sons, David and Peter, and family member McArthur Myers, and two grandchildren, Rachel, 4�, and David, 2.