Experienced municipal manager appointed interim EDA executive director

Arriving for Thursday morning’s EDA Special Meeting, John Anzivino, right, is greeted by recently-appointed EDA Board Treasurer Tom Pattison. Photos/Roger Bianchini

Three weeks after the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer McDonald the Economic Development Authority Board has appointed an interim replacement. Following a Thursday morning, January 10, special meeting closed session the EDA Board of Directors approved a contract with John Anzivino to become interim executive director.

According to the motion to authorize EDA Attorney Dan Whitten to draw up a contract to secure Anzivino’s services that contract will be for a 90-day period at a rate of $55 per hour. EDA Board Chairman Gray Blanton estimated the interim executive director will initially put in an average of about 30 hours per week.

Following the meeting adjournment Whitten said he hoped to have the contract written and signed by the end of the day. Leaving the meeting following its re-adjournment to open session Anzivino declined comment to the media, saying he preferred to defer comment until a contract was finalized and he had been officially hired.

“I hope it’s by the end of the day – I’m tired of doing all this,” Blanton said of certain day-to-day EDA operational responsibilities he as chairman has had thrust upon him in the wake of McDonald’s resignation on December 20. Related story: Oops, ‘Reply’ who? With staff out and procedures changed EDA board chair’s frustration levels rise

Attorney Whitten said a press release on Anzivino’s hiring, background and the interview process for an interim executive director would be out later in the day. An online search of Anzivino’s name indicates a person with extensive experience in municipal government management.

That experience includes 12 years as town manager of Warrenton; 12 years as county administrator of Caroline County; and six years as county administrator of Amelia County. Anzivino was also shown to have been appointed as interim town manager of Purceville in 2017. So it would appear that while semi-retired, Anzivino has experience jumping in to municipal situations in flux.

McDonald offered her resignation by e-mail on December 20, about 20 minutes prior to the start of a second EDA board closed session (the first was Dec. 14) scheduled to discuss her job performance in the wake of the Town of Front Royal Finance Department’s discovery of some accounting irregularities in its dealing with the EDA. That discovery was made while Finance Director B. J. Wilson was exploring the Town’s internal finances due to town council’s interest in funding some departmental purchases through interest-free internal loans. Related story: Resolution commends Town staff for uncovering overpayments to EDA

What Wilson discovered was about eight years of debt service overpayments by the Town of Front Royal totaling just over $291,000. A final number or whether there might be similar accounting errors on the County side of EDA business has not been determined pending the result of an ongoing audit of EDA debt service and accounting practices.

Along with the interim executive director contract, discussion of that EDA audit was also part of the closed session agenda the morning of January 10; as was a prospective business client’s location in the Happy Creek Technology Park. Anzivino, who arrived shortly before the start of the 10 a.m. special meeting, sat in through the entire one-hour-and-thirty-two-minute closed session.

The EDA board prepares for its closed meeting consideration of an interim executive director contract, among other items.

During the open portion of Thursday’s meeting the board also rescheduled its 8 a.m. monthly meeting to Wednesday, January 30, to accommodate board member schedules. The meeting, at which EDA Attorney Whitten said he hopes a final summary of the EDA audit will be available, was originally scheduled for Friday, January 25. Related Story: County will pay $90,000 to ‘outside consultant’ in audit of EDA finances; Related Story: County authorizes legal contract for EDA accounting and debt service work