[Archived] City Council Names Finalist for New City Manager

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

November 23, 2004
PIO 283.04/bg

Alexandria City Council Names Finalist
For City Manager Position

The Alexandria City Council tonight (Nov. 23) announced that James K. Hartmann, the County Administrator for Spartanburg, SC, has been offered the position of City Manager for the City of Alexandria, VA.

Contract negotiations are underway, according to Mayor William Euille, and an official announcement is expected at a special meeting of the City Council scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 pm in the Council Chamber, City Hall.

“Mr. Hartmann was the unanimous choice of the City Council,” said Mayor Euille. “We have been impressed with his experience, his intelligence and leadership skills. During the interviews, he was electrifying and engaging.” Once an employment contract is approved, Hartmann is expected to begin the job in early January.

Phil Sunderland, City Manager since March 2000, will step down to pursue other professional opportunities. For the 14 years before his appointment as manager, Sunderland served as the Alexandria City Attorney. Before his appointment as City Attorney in 1986, Sunderland was a partner in a public interest litigation law firm in Washington, DC, from 1975 to 1986. He litigated in federal and state courts, specializing in environmental, civil rights and employment law.

As Alexandria’s chief executive officer, Hartmann will be responsible for overseeing a budget of over $500 million and a workforce of more than 2,500 employees.
Hartmann has been County Administrator for Spartanburg County, SC, since 1999, where he oversees 1,450 employees who provide services to the County’s 260,000 residents. Prior to his arrival in Spartanburg County, Hartmann served from 1996 to 1999 as the County Administrator for Eagle County, CO, and from 1983 to 1996 worked for Orange County, FL. A native of California, Hartmann also served in the United States Coast Guard from 1974 to 1982, where he developed training programs for hospital corpsman and the Emergency Medical Program.

In addition to his County Administrator responsibilities, Hartmann also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of South Carolina, Spartanburg, and has been a visiting lecturer at the Clemson/University of South Carolina MPA program.

Hartmann, 51, is married and has two children.