MAY 2012

Sandra R. Robinson has been selected to succeed Roy B. Thorpe Jr. as Culpeper County Attorney. To allow for an orderly transition, Sandra joined the County on April 18 and will assume the full duties of county attorney at the May 2 board of supervisor's meeting, following Roy's effective retirement date of May 1. A graduate of Washington and Lee School of Law, Sandra comes to Culpeper with more than 10 years of local government law experience, having served the majority of those years in the City of Richmond as Counsel to the Mayor and earlier as Assistant City Attorney. Sandra can be reached at 306 North Main Street, Culpeper, VA 22701 (Tel: 540/727-3407; Fax: 540/727-3462; Email: srrobinson@culpepercounty.gov).

The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) recently joined the LGA as an associate member. The PEC's mission is to safeguard the landscapes, communities and heritage of the Virginia Piedmont by involving citizens in public policy and land conservation. For LGA purposes, Diana Norris will serve as the chief legal counsel in her capacity as the Fauquier County Land Use Officer at PEC. Diana attended Cornell University for her undergraduate work, American University for her masters degree, and Catholic University for her law degree. Previously, Diana worked in private practice as an associate attorney at Georgia H. Herbert, P.C. (also an associate member of LGA). Diana can be reached at 45 Horner Street, Warrenton, VA 20188 (Tel: 540/347-2334 ext. 15; Email: dnorris@pecva.org).

At the 2012 LGA Spring Conference in Williamsburg, Ellen F.M. Posner, Assistant Fairfax County Attorney, received the LGA's 2012 Cherin Award for an Outstanding Deputy or Assistant Local Government Attorney. The award is given to a deputy or assistant local government attorney who has demonstrated distinguished public service that has enhanced the image of local government attorneys in the Commonwealth and that reflects a personal commitment to the highest ethical and professional principles.

At its March 30, 2012 meeting, the LGA Board of Directors unanimously voted to dedicate the 2013 edition of the Handbook of Virginia Local Government Law to Wilburn ("Wil") C. Dibling Jr. Wil retired at the end of last month as a senior partner at Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, where he practiced local government law. As most of you know, prior to having joined Gentry Locke, Wil was Roanoke City Attorney for many years. He served the LGA in many ways, including as a member of the board of directors and as president. In 1995, he was awarded the Finnegan Award. The board voted to honor Wil with this dedication because of his important role in establishing the Handbook of Virginia Local Government Law. Wil was chair of the initial editorial committee. Wil graciously notes that many of the LGA's founders had important roles in getting the Handbook well launched, and noted in a recent letter that "[n]one of us ever imagined that the Handbook would become the authoritative treatise that it is today."