Assistant City Manager David Ellis is stepping down from his position after three years of service. He is relocating to Wake County, North Carolina, where he will serve as deputy county manager. Before serving Charlottesville, Ellis was the assistant to the county executive in Fairfax County.
The role of the assistant city manager is to work on a variety of community projects and work closely with many parts of the city. Ellis said he has interacted with numerous parts of the Charlottesville community during his time here.
“The role of an assistant city manager is to be a ‘jack of all trades,’ a fixer and someone who works closely with the community to ensure their concerns are being addressed in a timely manner,” Ellis said in an email.
Director of Communications Miriam Dickler echoed this, saying the assistant city manager plays an important role in maintaining daily city functionality.
“The assistant manager oversees the day to day running of the city of Charlottesville
and is a key member of the team,” Dickler said. “He or she handles community liaison issues as well as management concerns.”
Ellis will leave his Charlottesville position March 13, and said he has learned a lot during his time in Charlottesville and will miss the community.
“I am going to miss working for the City Manager Maurice Jones, who I have learned a tremendous amount from over the past few years … [and the] members of the community who have embraced me during my time here,” Ellis said.
However, the new position in Wake County — the second most populated county in North Carolina — is step up for Ellis’s career and a move which he said is a beneficial move for him.
“The job with Wake County is a great opportunity in a growing county with a small town feel,” Ellis said. “It will provide me the opportunity to work on a diversity of issues and utilize my experience with the City of Charlottesville and Fairfax County.”
Dickler said the city has not yet started looking for Ellis’s replacement and has yet to determine what qualities they are looking for in a new assistant manager.
“We haven’t started the search yet, so we can’t really say [what qualities we are looking for] until the job description is out,” Dickler said.
Dickler said Ellis is not the only one leaving the City Manager’s Office this year. James Tolbert, director of the Department of Neighborhood Development Services, will also leave the city as he was chosen to be the assistant city manager for Planning and Neighborhood Services in Sandy Springs, Georgia this January. He has been working as the director of the Department of Neighborhood Development Services in Charlottesville since 1999.
Dickler said both were a key city officials and will be missed.
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