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2000 SESSION


SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 200
Commending Vola Lawson.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 3, 2000
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 4, 2000

WHEREAS, Vola Lawson, Alexandria’s City Manager since 1985, has announced her retirement, effective March 1, 2000; and

WHEREAS, for more than 30 years, Vola Lawson has been at the center of Alexandria’s public life, first as a civil rights activist in the 1960s, then, in 1971, as the Assistant Director of the Alexandria Economic Opportunities Commission; and

WHEREAS, as the chair of the Alexandria Ad Hoc Committee on Women in 1973, she was instrumental in the establishment of Alexandria’s Commission on Women; and

WHEREAS, Vola Lawson became the city’s first Assistant City Manager for Housing in 1975, initiating more than $100 million in low-income and senior-citizen housing projects; and

WHEREAS, in 1985 Vola Lawson was named City Manager, one of only three women in the country to manage a city with more than 100,000 residents; and

WHEREAS, as Alexandria’s chief executive, Vola Lawson directs an annual budget in excess of $360 million and supervises nearly 2,000 city employees; and

WHEREAS, Vola Lawson is widely known for her compassion, her wit, and her utter dedication to providing the citizens of Alexandria with open, honest, and effective government; and

WHEREAS, under Vola Lawson’s fiscal management, Alexandria became one of only 22 cities in the country in 1986 with a triple-A credit rating; and

WHEREAS, in 1992 the city’s creditworthiness was upgraded, and Alexandria became one of only ten cities in the country at that time to hold a double triple-A credit rating; and

WHEREAS, Vola Lawson is recognized for diversifying the city government’s work force and, as a breast cancer survivor, initiating the city’s annual Breast Cancer Walk, which raises funds to provide free mammograms for women who cannot afford them; and

WHEREAS, Vola Lawson, alongside members of the city council and Alexandria citizens, helped to defeat a bid by the owner of the Washington Redskins to relocate to Alexandria -- an effort that was seen as a victory for local governments to decide their own land-use policies; and

WHEREAS, the recipient of countless honors, awards, and citations, Vola Lawson was named a Washingtonian of the Year for 1999 by Washingtonian magazine and received the 1997 National Award for Innovative Leadership and Accomplished Professionalism from the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA); and

WHEREAS, in 1988 the Virginia chapters of ASPA named Vola Lawson as the outstanding public administrator in Virginia; and

WHEREAS, in 1993 Vola Lawson was inducted into the Virginia Women’s Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Vola Lawson’s service to the City of Alexandria leaves an enviable legacy of accomplishment, of uncommon dedication to her profession, and of lasting improvement in the city she served with such constancy and conviction; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Vola Lawson on the completion of an outstanding public service career; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Vola Lawson as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration and gratitude for her many years of outstanding service to the citizens of Alexandria.