The Falls Church City Council has settled on its next city manager.
Seth Hendler-Voss, the director of parks and recreation in Prince William County, will succeed Wyatt Shields as the city’s top appointed official, the Council unanimously voted yesterday (Monday).
Hendler-Voss will take office next month, following two decades of Shields’ leadership in Falls Church.
“We’re grateful you said ‘yes,'” Mayor Letty Hardi told Hendler-Voss during a special Council meeting called to ratify Hendler-Voss’s contract and introduce him to the local community.
Hardi said the incoming manager offered “a really good fit for the city” and possessed “a remarkable depth of local-government experience.”
Her colleagues shared her enthusiasm for the appointment.
“It takes a really special person to lead Falls Church,” Council member Marybeth Connelly said, suggesting Hendler-Voss fit the bill.
In remarks after the 7-0 vote, Hendler-Voss said the appointment represented “truly a humbling experience.”
“How incredibly grateful I am for this opportunity,” he said. “Falls Church really exudes a brand of community spirit that is found really nowhere else. I’m eager to roll up my sleeves and dive in.”
Several elected officials from Prince William County attended, as did the county executive and senior staff from that locality, where Hendler-Voss has served since 2017 as director of parks and recreation.
“You’re getting a special person,” said Victor Angry, a member of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. “He’s your guy.”
Shields announced in March that he would be retiring. His last day is Sept. 5; until the arrival of Hendler-Voss on Sept. 14, a deputy city manager — Jennifer Carroll — will serve as acting city manager.
According to city officials:
Hendler-Voss brings 20 years of public service experience in Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. His previous positions include town manager of Canton, N.C.; director of parks and recreation for Prince William County; [and] planning manager and principal landscape architect for Asheville, N.C.
The new city manager will earn $260,000 annually. Since July, Shields’s salary has been $262,914.
The contract is for an indefinite term at the pleasure of Council members. If Hendler-Voss is dismissed without cause, he will be entitled to six months of salary plus accrued leave and benefits.
Hendler-Voss is married to Rev. Amanda Hendler-Voss, senior minister at First Congregational United Church of Christ in D.C. They have two sons, and have already made the move to Falls Church.
Council members will provide the new manager with written goals within 60 days of his start date. An informal evaluation will take place at the six-month mark, followed by a formal evaluation on an annual basis.
While city officials will be hosting going-away festivities for Shields in the coming days, the Aug. 24 meeting provided a chance for some comments on his tenure.
“This is a very bittersweet day for all of us,” Council member Laura Downs said, praising Shields’s tenure for putting the city “in a great position of strength” and praising his “gentle approach” and “calm presence” in leadership.
“He can leave proud of what he’s accomplished,” said Jim Coyle, vice chair of the city’s Economic Development Authority.
In brief remarks, Shields said Council members had made “a great decision” in choosing his successor.
Members of city staff are “really excited” about what Hendler-Voss will bring, Shields said.
Shields has served in city government since 2003, starting as assistant city manager. In 2006, he was tapped as acting city manager following the death from cancer of Dan McKeever, and his appointment became permanent the following year.
At 37, Shields was the youngest Falls Church city manager since the town’s incorporation in 1948, according to Falls Church News-Press coverage at the time.
During his lengthy tenure as city manager, Shields presided over a commercial/retail growth spurt in the city, and also led the local government through Covid and the ups and downs of the regional economy.
Prior to joining the Falls Church government, Shields had served as town administrator of Scottsville, Va., according to 2007 News-Press coverage. He also had worked for Dominion Energy and Sen. Charles Robb (D-Va.).
Because Carroll will only serve as acting city manager for nine days, Council members did not increase her existing salary during the period when she will lead operations.
