Uncertain Times for County and School Staff

November’s resounding sweep by Republican candidates has many people in Loudoun County wondering what the new will be like. From my perspective, no one is more interested more in this question than the county staff, especially those who work closely with the board.

The changes in the makeup of the board are especially significant this time because there will be so much turnover. Seven of the nine board members will be new. Only Chairman Scott York and Sterling District Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio will return.

The board will shift politically from a Democratic majority to an all-Republican body. And the first board in Loudoun County with a majority of female members will be replaced by one with seven males and just two females.

Usually, staff members like stability and predictability in leadership. This starts with the board’s relationship with the county administrator, who oversees most county departments, and who serves at the pleasure of a majority of the board. All it takes is five votes on the board to replace him, which would cause shockwaves throughout the organization.

It appears that County Administrator Tim Hemstreet has had a two-year honeymoon with the board that hired him. Many of the board members praised him and the staff as a whole in their end-of-the-year comments at the last Board meeting.

Often, when the makeup of the board shifts drastically, the administrator is in a somewhat shaky position, especially if the new majority campaigned on a platform of change. If the new majority is highly critical of the previous board, the administrator and other key staff may suffer from guilt by association with the last board.

This time, however, chances are that Hemstreet doesn’t have to worry about his job security. He appears to have a strong relationship with York, whose position as the returning chairman makes his opinion all-important. If he gives Hemstreet his blessing, as expected, then I would expect the incoming Republican board members to accept that.

A new board also brings changes in political philosophy. Based on their campaigns, I would expect the new board to place priorities on economic development and reducing the size and cost of government. By all indications, the new board will be more pro-growth and less interested in environmental protection and conservation than the last board, which had a decidedly “green” cast.

Staff members who worked on environmental protection projects such as the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act are no doubt nervous about what directions the new board will take.

I suspect that economic development staff members may also be nervous, but for the opposite reason. With their department in the spotlight, I suspect they are wondering how changes pursued by the new board will affect their jobs. 

If incoming board members believe that the county’s economic development efforts have not been up to par, will they blame the staff members or the previous board? Some newly elected board members have even expressed interest in replacing the current Department of Economic Development with a quasi-independent Economic Development Authority.

While the county staff will be looking for early signs about what they can expect from the new board, school employees are facing similar levels of uncertainty, times two. The school system is dependent on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for a large segment of its funding, and incoming members of both boards have indicated that they will be looking for ways to contain school spending.

Moreover, the school board will be seeing the same amount of turnover as the board of supervisors. This means that the schools face more uncertainty than usual, not just in the level of funding they receive from the county, but also in what priorities the new school board will emphasize in developing their budget.

Things should be interesting for the next four months leading up to the adoption of the FY 2013 budget.