“We have all the essential elements of a strong town government”

John Anzivino’s Leadership Analysis for Purcellville

On Sept. 29, the Purcellville Town Council held a special meeting to hear a Leadership Analysis presentation and discussion conducted by John Anzivino, Management Analyst and Coordinator.

In 2017, Anzivino served as Interim Town Manager for the Town of Purcellville. 

“This is a very different community than when I served here. It’s a beautiful community,” Anzivino said. “It is so well kept, and it is a pleasant place to come to – and that is very important. It shows the pride of your staff in taking care of this community.”

Anzivino pointed out that Town staff works at a level of some of the bigger communities closer to the District. “There’s a number of those key staff – there’s approximately ten in the next three years that are eligible for retirement.” 

He said that staff should prepare for “a way to proceed to pass the torch, so you don’t lose the institutional memory, which most communities lose.” He said that he will cover this in detail in the next study. 

“I consider you to be an activist governing body.” When Council Member Tip Stinnette asked him to define the term “activist,” Anzivino explained, “This is a council that thinks outside the box, is very actively engaged in your job as a council member, and is really trying to get things done.”

There are numerous pages with redactions in the Leadership Analysis. The redactions were done at the request of Town Manager David Mekarski, redacted by the Town Clerk, verified by Town Attorney Sally Hankins, then sent to the Human Resources Department to check the legality of the redactions. 

The pages of redactions centered around the “Town Manager’s performance, which is by contract and by tradition and by practice with this Council a personnel matter that is to be given the privilege to be discussed in executive session,” said Town Manager David Mekarski. 

Defending his own decision, Mekarski continued, “Because the comments were merely that – unsubstantiated comments – there is no way to gauge the veracity, and they could be a level of truth, or they could not. All I would like to do as the Town Manager is to have the opportunity to go through those.” 

He said he would accept written comments and he would “accept those that are constructive criticism and rebut those that are not. But I don’t think those elements are part of the public forum.”

Anzivino said he has worked as a town manager and a consultant in the private sector. He has worked in government offices and worked with 100 entities. “A lot of them are laid back and docile. You folks are very active in your role as elected officials, and you should be proud of that.” 

He said the study should serve as a blueprint for future action, interaction with staff and committees, commissions, and boards. He added that defining the roles of the governing body is key. 

“The Council as granted in your charter by the General Assembly operates under the council/town manager form of government,” Anzivino said. This is a form of government which 54 percent of the communities in the United States are utilizing and “originated in Stanton, Virginia in 1917-1918.” 

He said the town manager and the governing body should be “joined at the hip, to forge a vision for the community, and for that manager to have that vision to carry out on behalf of the council.”

“The mayor is responsible for managing the meetings and is the visible head of the elected body,” he said.

Anzivino noted that the Town’s budget is their work plan. He said that the Director of Engineering, Planning and Economic Development is “working about as hard as she can be working to fulfill the management of a wide range of projects.” 

“Council sets the direction for the community and you direct your manager to get it done. It’s your role to set the parameters of what you want done.” He added, “But it’s the manager’s job to get it done.”

Touching on the recommendation for the Town in the Organizational Assessment, Anzivino said, “That’s something for everyone here, for the staff and the Council to be very proud of because there are some big things in there. 

“Your asset management for the first time, you as a local government are taking a look at the assets you have which belong to the citizens and saying okay, what kind of shape are they in and how do we plan to take care of them better?”

Anzivino said the Town Manager and his interaction with staff and the Council is an important feature of the report. “A lot of that is for closed session discussion.” 

The committees, commissions, and boards, he pointed out, “are real tools. I have not seen the level of detail in a code that you have here in the Town of Purcellville … they all function as a council arm.”

Anzivino recommended hiring a project manager to help oversee the Capital Project Budget for the next couple of years. During that time, the Town will be managing many Capital Improvement Projects that were identified as needing work and paid for by the American Rescue Plan Act monies received by the Town.

Anzivino reiterated that the Council is strong and “you’ve got inquisitive minds, you’ve got new ideas. It’s a matter of connecting the two to be more productive.”

“We have all the essential elements of a strong town government … this Town has accomplished a lot.” He pointed out that the Town has an AAA bond rating and that is “a great thing.”

Purcellville Mayor Kwasi Fraser concluded the meeting saying, “What I heard here tonight is something I have tried to put into practice.”