Exact quote from the meeting:

“From this day forth you shall be known as Darth Hodge Jr.  Go forth and fire all those who cross your path.  Do so with a smile but show no mercy.  Let not one department escape your wrath for you must ensure there is no one left to fire before we hire the permanent County Administrator.”

Not sure which board member said it or if it will appear in the minutes, might have been off the record.

I do not know anything about Elmer’s background (I am addressing him by his first name in order to differentiate him from Barry Hodge), but it is encouraging to know that he has previous experience in two large jurisdictions, Chesterfield and Roanoke, and that he appears to have been hired based on experience and qualifications and not because he is a Republican toady or Powhatan good old boy.  The fact that he appears to have no prior experience with Powhatan is actually a big plus, in my opinion.

It is important for the people who work for the County and who do business with the County to act like professionals, forget Bishop, welcome Elmer, and look forward rather than backward.

My apologies for mispelling Mr. Hodge’s name in the previous post.

On paper it would appear we are very lucky to have this gentleman for this role.  I’ve read nothing but good things about his experience and record of results.

I’m very encouraged by the hire.

Congratulations Powatan for picking a world class administrator. As a lifelong resident of Roanoke County, I could go on and on about the many great things Elmer Hode created here, and how he made my home a better place to live, work and play. Maybe the doubters should visit the heart of the Blue Ridge sometime and see.

Hmm, no discussion of how nice the new CA is. It’s as if that wasn’t even a factor.

Actually that may be a bonus in that it will make it easier to let him go at the 6month mark…. no fan club to be outraged.

I suppose it’s like they say, nice guys finish last. That’s not to say he’s not a nice guy, just not as nice, relative to the previous CA.

It’s all relative.

Say you’re attending Liberty University… relative to some pursuing the Liberty Way, you can still be a generally nice guy but relatively, you are the “cool” bad boy/girl.

But in all seriousness, good job on hiring soemone that looks promising based on experience/qualifications.