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Officials: E-mail not only issue with Rolfe

July 7, 2009 12:35 am

BY ROBIN KNEPPER

Two Orange County supervisors said yesterday that their decision to fire County Administrator Bill Rolfe was not based solely on his e-mail suggesting the board look at another possible site for a Wal-Mart Supercenter.

"There were other issues particularly personnel issues and the way he handled them," said Supervisor Zack Burkett, one of the three board members who voted Friday to terminate Rolfe immediately. "We agreed in January that we would review his employment in July because some issues were coming up that we wanted to discuss."

Rolfe's dismissal came two days after The Free Lance-Star reported on a June 15 e-mail he sent to supervisors, advising them that it would be in the best interests of the county to "broker a deal that keeps Wal-Mart in the County and moves it further away from the congressionally approved boundary line of the Wilderness battlefield."

Rolfe noted a 2,000-acre tract of land owned by the King family, which has proposed a mixed-use development just west of the proposed Wal-Mart location at the intersection of State Routes 3 and 20. He sent a copy of his e-mail to the supervisors to the King family's local representative, Kenny Dotson, who forwarded it to several people in the historical preservation coalition that opposes the Wal-Mart location.

Supervisors Mark Johnson and Teri Pace joined Burkett in voting to fire Rolfe.

"I was ready to make this decision in January," Johnson said. "I didn't care for his handling of some personnel issues.

"A major part of this was his lack of organization and the county moving forward on a broad range of issues we'd identified as priorities. He'd made progress in some areas, but we didn't see the progression we had a right to expect based on Mr. Rolfe's experience and salary."

Pace, who opposes the Wal-Mart site, could not be reached for comment yesterday. She had been critical of Rolfe's handling of several issues in the past.

Rolfe was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Johnson played a key role in hiring Rolfe in 2005, as did then-Supervisor Thomas Graves. Rolfe, 59, had been county administrator in Bedford County for 16 years and was previously county administrator of Lunenburg County, town manager of Narrows, and a senior analyst with the city of Suffolk.

Graves, who was defeated by Burkett in 2007, said he thought Rolfe did "an excellent job for Orange County."

"He's established better relationships with the schools, the towns and, particularly, the business community," Graves said. "He hired a tremendous group of department heads who are really professional in their jobs.

"It's really bad timing to let him go now, with as much as the supervisors have on their plates."

The board has scheduled a public hearing July 27 on a special-use permit to allow Wal-Mart to build a 138,000-square-foot store across from the Civil War battlefield park.

A public hearing before the county Planning Commission last month drew more than 70 speakers, with opponents of the site outnumbering supporters at least 2-1.

Johnson, Burkett and Supervisor Teel Goodwin have said they support the proposed location.

Supervisors have not formulated plans or a timetable for finding a permanent replacement for Rolfe. Burkett said the board wants to consult County Attorney Sharon Pandak before proceeding.

"We haven't discussed it yet," Burkett said. "I'm sure there will be five different viewpoints on the situation."

"I assume we'll make a decision quickly and put the job out for applicants," Johnson said. "Any process like that takes time to run its course."

Robin Knepper: 540/972-5701
Email: rknepper@earthlink.net