Charlottesville City Manager Gary O’Connell is leaving his current post, and has been named the Executive Director of Albemarle County Service Authority (ACSA).
According to a press release from the ACSA, O’Connell was hired and will succeed Gary Fern, whose last day at this post is February 26. ACSA received several applications from around the country and conducted in-person interviews with five qualified applicants, "from which it selected Mr. O’Connell as the best qualified to meet the needs of the ACSA, its customers and employees," reads the release. O’Connell will also serve as representative of the authority to the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors.
The Albemarle County Service Authority is a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia and was created by the county Board of Supervisors back in 1964. It currently serves 15,500 customers and provides water and sewer services.
O’Connell has been Charlottesville City Manager since November 1995, and served as Deputy City Manager for 14 years prior to that (1981-1995). Last year, C-VILLE Weekly named O’Connell the most powerful player in local government.
