Retiring City Manager Regina Williams penned a letter Tuesday to members of council, the citizens of the city, and the newspaper in which she called an article in The Virginian-Pilot “the most jaundiced reporting and headline” she could imagine. I don’t know if I’d go quite that far but I understand her frustration. After all, she’s been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in Norfolk, even those things over which she had no control. I have no doubt that the article last week was just the straw that broke the camel’s back, prompting her response, something she has not previously done despite having had a target on her back for a very long time.
The report was not kind to anyone involved in the light rail project. The newspaper reported it, just as it has reported on numerous other missteps in Norfolk over the past year or so. The root of the problem is the way business is done in Norfolk, a situation Williams inherited when she arrived and will exist long after she is gone, unless the citizens demand something different.
I can honestly say that I never expected Williams to serve as City Manager this long. I figured she’d be here five years, tops – and I recall telling her that back when we first met. William’s predecessor, Jim Oliver, and she are almost polar opposites: Williams is detail oriented while Oliver is a big picture guy. Each approach to management has its upsides and downsides, and now that Norfolk has experienced the extremes, I hope that Marcus Jones, the incoming city manager, takes heed and operates somewhere between the two.
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The latest in the HRT saga has councilman Andy Protogyrou calling for Norfolk to conduct its own investigation. If the feds come in for an audit – and I believe they should – this will probably hinder any investigation the city might undertake. (Note that the state investigation was held up while the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Virginia Beach was investigating the theft from the fare boxes.) That being the case, it may be difficult to do; however, identification of the processes that led to this mess is important.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 