Alexander has a challenging job, which has a history of near-continuous turnover

Accomplishing the Dumfries Town Council's goals with a tighter budget is among the challenges facing its new town manager.

But Kimberly Alexander, 31, said she is up to that challenge as well as any other. Alexander just completed her first week in her new position, which comes with a salary of $103,000 a year.

"This year and next year are going to be very, very tough," she said. "Dumfries has so much potential. I know I am going to feel that I am held back a little bit because of the constraints of the budget but I see so much that can be done, but we have to have the money to do it."

However, Alexander said her background in positions focused on economic development, special projects and grants management gives her the know-how to go after grants that could move Dumfries forward without any, or much, cost to the town.

"You can't always rely on grant funding and those funds are fewer and farther between as well, but they are still there," she said.

Alexander was the director of special projects and grants management for Harrisonburg for four years before being promoted to assistant to the city manager about a year ago. She was the director of economic development for the town of Shenandoah for two years before that and worked as chief editor and special assistant for the governor's office for 18 months after graduating from college.

Alexander also is aware that she faces challenges working with the town council, which has been known to be divisive and hard on its town managers.

"I spoke with several people before and after being offered the position. I heard stories from different perspectives. I did have some idea of what I was getting into," she said. "Regardless of what people tell me, I am the type of person who does like to make her own observations and I certainly didn't want to come into this position with any preconceptions or any expectations."

Over the last 16 years, Dumfries has had a revolving door of town managers. Three resigned, three were fired and one retired. Most recently, Tom Huggard came on board as an interim manager after former manager Dave Whitlow resigned, but Huggard resigned himself in April without prior notice and before Alexander was hired.

In his resignation letter to council, Huggard cited its berating of town staff, its argumentative behavior behind closed doors in discussing the top candidates for the town manager job as well as a public attack to his character by a councilman as the reasons why he left without notice.

He also described the council as "nearly totally dysfunctional."

"Several of the people who had told me about the difficulties with council have told me the same thing -- they believe that each council member truly has the best interest of the town at heart," Alexander said. "They are all very good people and they care about the town. Getting that cohesiveness and unity is just something we have to work on."

Fostering team building among the council members is a high priority goal. "They definitely could accomplish far more and more quickly if they could work together on a regular basis," Alexander said.

The council's vote to hire Alexander was not unanimous. Two members -- Cliff Brewer and Willie Toney -- voted no, saying that Alexander did not have adequate experience in leadership or in such areas as overseeing a police department and land use.

"I understand it is very difficult for seven people with seven different personalities to agree on anything particularly on something as important as who the town manager will be," Alexander said. "I do hope I can change their minds."

She also said that she is open to suggestions of additional training that could help her better do her job. However, she also pointed out that a major responsibility as a town manager is to hire and keep a competent and skilled staff and she believes she has that.

"A good manager is a generalist and hires people who are far more knowledgeable about other things to assist him or her," she said. "It's less about the specific knowledge that I have and more about recognizing the potential in others."

Staff writer Aileen Streng can be reached at 703-878-8010.