HOPEWELL, Va. (WRIC) – The City of Hopewell officially has a new City Manager after it was discovered that the city has not submitted a financial audit to the state since 2014.
Hopewell City Council voted Tuesday night to make their Interim City Manager and former IT Director, Dr. Concetta Manker, their permanent City Manager.
The city has dealt with money problems for years and is over eight years behind in their financial reporting, and is now counting on Manker to lead them out of distress.
However, some residents have doubts about Manker’s qualifications to tackle such a challenge.
“Until we get our finances straight, we cannot move ahead. We’re moving 10 steps backwards,” former mayor of Hopewell Jackie Shornak said.
Shornak was concerned about the council’s decision on hiring Manker during this time, along with other residents who stormed out of the meeting after the vote Tuesday night.
“I’ve lived here 60 years. And I care about the city,” Shornak said. “And to see such disregard and such poor decisions being made. It breaks my heart.”
The state came in and reviewed the city’s finances and offered to step in with help that would have replaced Manker as Interim City Manager.
In a letter obtained by 8News, Virginia’s Secretary of Finance, Stephen Cummings offered the City $200,000 dollars to help fund a qualified Interim City Manager and an Interim Finance Director.
A follow up letter from Cummings goes on to say, “we believe that experienced professionals are necessary in these positions to further ensure prompt resolution of the long-standing issues.”
Despite these recommendations from the state, city council moved forward with making Manker the new City Manager of Hopewell.
“I think that she’s going to do a phenomenal job, even before the state came in. She’s already working on some of the things that they suggested for her to do,” Council Member Dominic Holloway said after Tuesday night’s meeting. “She’s already been working on those things, and we are on a route to recovery.”
Shornak and other residents are now working on a petition to have the state come in and take over the city following the decision.
“We want change, we want help. And we can’t get it as long as these people are in these positions,” Shornak said.
8News reached out to the City of Hopewell for further comment on this situation and have not received a response.
