Jay Stegmaier promoted to county administrator
By Greg Pearson STAFF WRITER

Stegmaier

Deputy County Administrator Jay Stegmaier, 53, takes the reins of the largest county in central Virginia on Aug. 14 as the county's chief executive. His promotion to county administrator was officially announced by the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors last week, ending months of speculation that he was the top candidate for the job.

In a May 2 story, the Chesterfield Observer cited several county sources as saying Stegmaier was the "leading candidate" to replace County Administrator Lane Ramsey, who has worked for the county for 35 years, including the last 20 years as its top executive. Ramsey objected to the story, writing a letter to the editor, saying he was "shocked and disappointed…The article…could seriously damage the process the Board of Supervisors is going through to fill this position. I believe the Observer owes the candidates for county administrator, the Board of Supervisors, and the citizens who have contributed to this process an apology for inaccurately reporting..."

Later, the county reported the search, which was led by outside consultant Springsted, resulted in 37 applicants for the job. Springsted is an executive search firm based in St. Paul, Minn. Deputy County Administrator Pete Stith also applied for the position, but, citing family considerations, Deputy County Administrator Becky Dickson did not.

"Thank you for the enormous trust you have placed in me," Stegmaier told the board last week upon the announcement. "Somebody has to follow Lane Ramsey, but no one can replace him."

The vote to confirm Stegmaier was unanimous though Clover Hill Supervisor Art Warren had recommended earlier this year that the selection of a county administrator should wait until next year after board elections this November.

"We decided that we have the expertise internally," explained Board Chairman Kelly Miller.

Later, Miller noted the similarities between Ramsey and Stegmaier, including coming up the accounting ranks in the county. "They have similar styles and promote teamwork," he added. "I think we'll see the same quiet leadership, but Jay will be his own man."

Stegmaier will have a compensation package of $214,000 including salary, deferred compensation and automobile expenses. He turned down the county's initial compensation offer. Ramsey's total compensation is $241,776. As one of Ramsey's deputies, Stegmaier earns $187,861.

As deputy county administrator, Stegmaier oversees the operations of general services including the county airport as well as the departments of purchasing, accounting, information systems and others. His office also serves as a liaison for the constitutional officers, the courts and the county registrar. Stegmaier joined the county staff in 1979 and was promoted to deputy in 1997.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the Catholic University of America in 1976 with scholarships in engineering and applied psychology, and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Virginia in 1979 with a Public Service Education Program Fellowship. He also attended the Government Finance Officers Association Executive Finance Institute, Georgetown University (1986), Leadership Metro Richmond (1990) and the Senior Executive Institute at the University of Virginia (1992).

Stegmaier is a certified government financial manager with the Association of Government Accountants, a credentialed manager with the International City/County Management Association, the Virginia Local Government Management Association's recipient of the 2002 Marcia Mashaw Award for Outstanding Assistant and a member of the American Society for Public Administration and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce/Chesterfield Business Council. He is former co-chair of the Virginia Analysts Network and a former member of the Board of the U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award.