James City County’s Acting County Administrator Doug Powell has been appointed to fill the role as general manager of the James City Service Authority.
Powell will continue to serve as the acting administrator as the board searches for a permanent replacement.
The James City County Board of Supervisors and JCSA Board of Directors, which comprises the supervisors, entered an unscheduled closed session Tuesday night to discuss an appointment for the JCSA general manager and acting county administrator positions.
When the board resumed open session, Supervisor Jim Kennedy (Stonehouse) nominated Powell to serve as JCSA general manager — a position left vacant after longtime manager Larry Foster retired in December. Powell has been serving as the acting county administrator since early January, after former county administrator Robert Middaugh was fired in November. The Board of Directors supported Powell’s appointment on a 5-0 vote.
The JCSA meeting was adjourned and the Board of Supervisors meeting recalled, at which time Supervisor Mary Jones (Berkeley) nominated Powell to continue as acting county administrator. That appointment was supported by the supervisors on a 5-0 vote as well.
The supervisors recently began the process of finding a permanent county administrator. At its Feb. 11 meeting, the board authorized Powell to hire Colin Baenziger & Associates, an executive search firm that will work to hire the next county administrator.
