Two top administrators in Fairfax City’s government are leaving, and the chief of police is retiring. Deputy City Manager Valmarie Turner is heading for a more prestigious job in Roanoke, Police Chief Erin Schaible had already planned to retire (see sidebar) – and City Manager Laszlo Palko was fired.

Laszlo Palko 

 

Palko’s termination set off a firestorm of questions and controversy among residents not knowing why he was let go after just seven months on the job. But since it’s a personnel matter and was discussed in a closed session of City Council, neither the councilmembers nor the mayor are legally allowed to talk about it in public or to reveal the reason or reasons behind his firing.

They took that action last Tuesday, Dec. 10, by a vote of 4-2, following that night’s Council meeting. Councilmembers Billy Bates, So Lim, Tom Ross and Jon Stehle voted yes. (Bates was recently reelected; the other three chose not to run for reelection). Kate Doyle Feingold and Jeff Greenfield – who both recently lost their bids for reelection – were the two “no” votes. 

Palko was officially terminated “without cause” via the “convenience” clause in his contract, meaning that an employee may be let go when he or she is seemingly no longer a good fit for the job. Fairfax Mayor Catherine Read later explained it by simply saying, “The City Manager serves at the pleasure of the Council.”

But it’s definitely not the norm for Fairfax City to fire its City Managers. In fact, it’s just the opposite. According to former Mayor David Meyer, who was an eight-year Councilmember, “Since the City’s inception in 1961, we have had generally longer-tenured City Managers. No previous City Manager has been terminated.”

“I note that, in some jurisdictions in some parts of the United States, relieving the top executive does occur more frequently, and this can be an occupational risk in the career field of senior public administrators,” added Meyer. “However, until now, this has not been the circumstance with the City of Fairfax.” 

Stacy Hall 

 

Indeed, Bob Sisson was Fairfax’s city manager for 27 years – more than a quarter century. And following Sisson, Rob Stalzer held the post for five years, retiring in March of this year, after a 43-year career in public service. Palko began his stint the next month, serving for nearly eight months.

During the two general-comment periods that were part of last week’s Council meeting, two people spoke about Palko’s potential firing. One of them, Susan Kuiler, ran unsuccessfully for mayor against Read in November. The other, Stacy Hall – who supported Kuiler during her campaign – won her election to Council.

Kuiler said she’d heard a rumor that the mayor was going to fire Palko and had the votes to do it. If true, she said, “This is despicable, dishonorable and unsportsmanlike. Such a decision should have been deferred to the new Council.”

Hall agreed. “I’m speaking as an incoming councilwoman and on behalf of my colleagues [on the Council taking office in January 2025] Rachel McQuillen, Anthony Amos and Tom Peterson,” she said. “We understand a closed session will soon be held to discuss personnel matters. We believe significant decisions about personnel changes should not be made by an outgoing Council.”

But since the new Council hasn’t yet taken office, it doesn’t have all the facts about why this action was taken. Indeed, later on, in response to Hall’s comments, Read said, “We can’t discuss a personnel matter outside of closed session. And right now, the [incoming Council members] are just private citizens.”

Kelly O’Brien, City resident and former planner with Fairfax City, regularly informs her fellow residents about their local government happenings, including its Planning Commission and Council meetings. She does so via her “Fairfax 411” Facebook page; and on Wednesday, Dec. 11 – the day after the meeting – she posted the following:

“Last night, the Fairfax City Council voted to terminate the contract of City Manager Laszlo Palko without cause. While this decision may feel abrupt, I believe it reflects the Council's responsibility to address leadership concerns for the betterment of our community. It’s important to clarify a few points:
*The current Council has the authority to make this decision, as they are still in office until the new Council is sworn in.
* The incoming Council will have the opportunity to hire a new City Manager and shape the City’s future direction.
* Personnel decisions like this often involve confidential matters that we, as the public, are not privy to. Speculating about the reasons without complete information is unfair to all parties involved.

“Personally, I am glad the Council took action. I had concerns about Mr. Palko’s leadership and was dissatisfied with my interactions with him. While change can feel unsettling, I see this as a necessary step to right the ship and ensure our City is on a stronger path forward.

“For now, Deputy City Manager Valmarie Turner will serve as Interim City Manager until her departure in January. The incoming Council will be tasked with selecting a new leader to guide us into the future. Change is never easy, but I trust it is the right decision for Fairfax City.”

THE RESPONSES to her post were both pro and con. For example, Jennifer Gear wrote, “What horrible timing to such a decision. Also, a bad look and unprofessional for the City [not] only to fire somebody during the holiday time but also to do it disregarding what the incoming City Council wanted, which was to defer the decision.”

However, Evie Ifantides wrote, “Good idea for the new Council to start fresh hiring a manager and a deputy [manager].”

As for Palko, himself, he gave an audio statement to The Fairfax Independent, a small newspaper that promoted the candidacies of Kuiler and the incoming Council candidates. In it, he thanked Doyle Feingold and Greenfield for “everything they’ve done for the City and for me” and said he’d “miss working with the City employees. This City is blessed with tremendous talent and dedication in its workforce.”

He further said how excited he was about the incoming Council members and thanked them for supporting him. Palko claimed that “disgraceful politics is now undermining the interests of [the City] residents.” And he also mentioned the possibility of him being reinstated by the new Councilmembers in January, since they’d have a 4-2 majority against the two Democratic-supported Councilmembers, Bates and newcomer Stacey Hardy-Chandler.

When asked if the new Council could rehire Palko if it so desired, Read replied, “The incoming Council members will have the opportunity to choose who they feel will best serve the City.”

City Councils don’t often arbitrarily terminate people. So it’s likely that there’s more to Palko’s firing than the current Council is able to state publicly because it is a personnel matter. Additionally, people with deeper knowledge of his termination have confirmed that politics had nothing to do with it. 

If Palko does apply again to become Fairfax’s City Manager, at that time, the new Council will learn the full picture behind his dismissal. Although, even then, that will still remain privileged information since it regards a personnel matter. And just because the residents at large won’t know the reason why he was fired doesn’t mean there wasn’t one.

Meanwhile, a City employee agreed to talk to The Connection about this situation, provided that person’s identity was not revealed. Here are that employee’s comments:

“With only a few months under his belt, Palko never had the opportunity to complete a budget cycle or see project implementation through. While it is impossible to know where restructuring and changes to operations would have gone, things did shift towards committees and data analytics. 

“Given such a narrow timeframe, it is hard to infer what his management style was leading to. Ideally, there would have been a greater effort in the past seven months to work with staff to resolve many of the challenges the City faces, and greater emphasis on moving forward with the strategic plan. 

“Municipal employees should stay clear of local politics; we work with everyone and for the residents. Our mission is to consider the long-term delivery of services based on sound financial decisions, to ensure safety, and to be stewards of the City’s resources. 

“Despite the situation – which was surprising to staff, and we still do not understand the details – residents and businesses should know that there are women and men dedicated to serving this community, and that their dedication will not be deterred. We are a part of the community, and we are proud of our community. 

“Streets will be plowed, trash will be collected, and firefighters and police will keep the community safe. The statements we have recently seen following the City Council action speak of a divisiveness that cannot exist in administration.”

November’s mayoral and Council elections were contentious, as well, and involved a slate of so-called “independent” candidates including Kuiler, Hall, Amos, Peterson and McQuillen aligning themselves against Read and her fellow Democratic candidates. Given that, plus the added animosity generated by Palko’s firing, one might expect the working relationship between Read and the new Council members to be tense and uneasy, at best, once they take office in January. But, said Read, “I have to believe we’ll find our way together as a group.”

Erin Schaible

Valmarie Turner

Fairfax City Police Chief Schaible Retiring

Valmarie Turner to become Roanoke’s City Manager. 

After nearly five years as Fairfax City’s Police Chief, Erin Schaible is retiring. And Fairfax’s Deputy City Manager Valmarie Turner will is heading to Roanoke to become its new City Manager.

Schaible

Although Schaible announced her retirement the same day as Fairfax’s former City Manager Laszlo Palko’s termination became public, Schaible said it was purely a coincidence. She also stressed how pleased she was to have served as the City’s chief of police.

Schaible came to the City with 28 years’ experience as a police officer in Fairfax County, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in December 2019. A few months later, in February 2019, she began her job as Fairfax City’s new police chief – the first woman in the City’s history to hold that position. 

“Since becoming Chief of Police, I have been honored to lead a dedicated and talented department that strives to serve the citizens and business owners of the City of Fairfax with professionalism and compassion,” she said.

“During my tenure, we were able to expand our K-9 program, expand our bike team, establish a cadet program to help with recruiting and retention, become a part of a regional drone program, create a community response team for people experiencing crisis, and add three full-time positions to the department.”

Furthermore, she added, “Serving as Chief of Police for the City of Fairfax has been a privilege, and I will sincerely miss the members of this department and the City of Fairfax community. My final day in the office is Jan 3.” Schaible, who has a husband and four children, said, “I look forward to spending time with my family.”

Fairfax Mayor Catherine Read said the City has not yet started a search for her replacement.

Turner

Valmarie Turner was Fairfax City’s first-ever Deputy City Manager, and she brought almost three decades of local government experience to the job. She began her new position in October 2023 and worked directly with then City Manager Rob Stalzer on a variety of tasks critical to the smooth and efficient operation of the City.

Turner formerly worked for Loudoun County, where she was the assistant county administrator since 2017. She also served as Loudoun’s acting director of Finance and Procurement. On Dec. 2, Roanoke’s City Council unanimously approved Turner’s employment agreement and appointed her as City Manager. She’ll start her new job there in mid-January.

According to The Roanoke Tribune, Mayor Sherman Lea said Roanoke had “a strong pool of qualified applicants and Ms. Turner rose to the top. I’m confident she’ll work well with the new Mayor and Council to further improve the quality of life in Roanoke.”

In that story, Turner said she was looking forward to “working with City staff and City Council to implement its vision for the City of Roanoke. I’m excited about this opportunity to serve the residents of Roanoke and appreciate the confidence that City Council has shown in me.”

“We’re excited to welcome Val Turner to the City of Roanoke,” added Councilmember Trish White-Boyd. “Her demeanor and experience impressed Council with many issues facing the City such as economic development, affordable housing and homelessness. She has an excellent reputation as a leader, a team builder and someone who builds collaborative relationships with stakeholders in the community. We’re certain Val will be an asset to the Roanoke Valley.”