After plans for a noon announcement of Charlottesville’s new city manager were scrapped on Friday, December 3, city officials dispersed from City Hall and reporters returned to their desks to await a call from the new city manager, Maurice Jones. The man himself was a few blocks away at The Nook, where he was finishing a chicken club wrap—“one of my favorites,” he told C-VILLE shortly after.
 Maurice Jones (photographed outside City Hall) told C-VILLE he planned to celebrate his new job with a family trip to Brick Oven.
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Roughly seven months after assuming the title of interim manager following the resignation of 15-year veteran Gary O’Connell, Jones nabbed the official tag and a starting salary of $170,000 following a search that yielded 80 candidates from more than 30 states. (O’Connell’s annual salary was $175,000 at the time of his retirement.) In the final weeks, Jones was named one of three finalists for the post; the other two candidates held city management positions in other parts of the country.
In some corners of the Internet, the manager search raised the question of whether knowledge of a city outweighed knowledge of the position. Jones worked as a development director at UVA’s Miller Center for Public Affairs and as a sportscaster for NBC29, but also served as the city’s communication director for six years. Asked whether his local status was an advantage over other candidates, Jones replied, “Sure.”
“I know this town, I know the people in this town, I know the folks within our city organization,” said Jones. “I’ve been around long enough to know what the issues are and how to tackle the issues.”
Asked about the difference between knowing the position and knowing the city itself, Fire Chief Charles Werner (who served on a panel that interviewed the top three candidates for the job) said there “wasn’t much difference between persons who had a lot of experience at the position and Maurice.”
“At the end of the day Maurice knows the ground,” said Werner. “And he can hit the ground running.”
Starting with the budget, predicted to see an increase in expenditures that barely outpaces an increase in tax revenues. “The No. 1 issue will be the budget,” said Jones, who mentioned the city’s capital needs, as well as the outstanding demand for a community water supply plan. Jones serves on the board of the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority, as does O’Connell, now director of the Albemarle County Service Authority.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Dave Norris said Jones is known “as being fair and personally involved in any challenge, not only in City Hall but also throughout the community.”
“I expect that will be what this Council and future councils appreciate about his leadership style and what the community will come to admire,” said Norris.
