Dec. 14-2011-Buena Vista has a new city manager. William “Jay� Scudder. From www.thenews-gazette.com/---Lexington, VA. He formerly was the County Administrator in Patrick County, VA

Buena Vista has a new city manager. William “Jay� Scudder has been hired, pending a formal vote of City Council to approve a contract. Scudder was selected from a pool of 22 applicants. City Council interviewed eight of the candidates befor settling on Scudder. “Jay has a very broad skill set that will guarantee that our community thrives in these challenging economic times,� said Mayor Mike Clements Tuesday in announcing the appointment. “His experience in strategic planning, economic issues and establishing partnerships with public and private entities will ensure that our city will continue on its present course to a brighter future.� Mayor-elect Frankie Hogan, who takes office Jan. 1, said Council was impressed by Scudder's outgoing personality and out-of-the-box thinking. Scudder has nearly 23 years of experience in Virginia local government, including tenures as county administrator in Patrick and Fluvanna counties. Scudder is a graduate of E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, and holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science/public administration from James Madison University. His wife Shari is a public school teacher and daughter Jessica is a junior at JMU. Scudder succeeds Jack Gross, interim city manager whose tenure ends next week. Gross has been on the job since July, when he began his second stint as Buena Vista interim city manager. He held this post once before, about a decade ago. “The Council and I want to express our deep appreciation for the dedication of [Gross], our clerk of council/administrative assistant Dawn Moore and all of our department heads and staff during the transition,� said Clements. Reference: www.thenews-gazette.com/