Charlottesville names government veteran Michael C. Rogers interim City Manager

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Three months after its last City Manager stepped down, Charlottesville will finally have an interim in the position.

The next interim City Manager will be Michael C. Rogers, who was put forward by the Robert Bobb Group and was selected from a panel of three interviewed by city councilors. He will begin his duties on January 31.

“Thank you for your confidence and your vote to make me your interim City Manager,” Rogers said in front of councilors during a meeting Tuesday, January 18.

Rogers, who will be the city’s sixth City Manager since 2018 (not including Marc Woolley, who withdrew just one day before he was set to begin his role as interim), said he will spend the next dozen days looking for a place to stay in Charlottesville.

He says he wants to provide Charlottesville residents with, “a government that will listen, be open, and transparent. That’s my style, that’s what I look for.”

Rogers was touted as someone with more than three decades of experience, including as the COO of Petersburg, Virginia and as deputy mayor and city administrator in Washington, D.C.

Some of Charlottesville’s councilors described what drew them to Rogers: Mayor Lloyd Snook said it was his ability to train the next generation of city leaders that was attractive.

“That’s just an important skill and something we really need,” Snook said. “It really resonated with me in particular.”

Vice Mayor Juandiego Wade cited Rogers’ ability to help the city with its budget immediately as a strength. Then, Michael Payne described a shared goal.

“How do we ensure there’s real diversity in class, in race, in lived experience in the rooms we’re in and incorporate that into every decision we’re making?” Payne asked.

In other council news, Tuesday’s session began with a briefing about hopes for the future of Charlottesville Area Transit. Transit Director Garland Williams said he wants a more frequent service model and to begin the lengthy process of adding more eco-friendly busses.

“We have to plan our way to getting to 15-minute service. We have to plan our way to adding vehicles. We have to plan our way and get the authorization from the feds to add capital projects,” Williams said. “We are a planning organization first and foremost.”

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