Only ten months after the start of his term, Charlottesville City Manager Chip Boyles has announced his resignation from the City Council.
This announcement follows Boyles’ decision to fire the city’s Chief of Police Rashall Brackney. While Boyles felt “a change in leadership was necessary”, this decision to fire the chief was deemed controversial, with Mayor Nikuyah Walker accusing Boyles of coercion.
It was shortly after this accusation that Boyles sent in his letter of resignation and announced his official resignation date to be Oct. 29 of this year. In his letter, Boyles describes his success in bringing stability to the city, but noted how he is ultimately unable to make meaningful contributions in his role now, given that his relationship with Mayor Walker is “broken.”
Mayor Walker does not regret accusing Boyle or holding other council members accountable.
“They could all say that they have left because of me,” she said. “But if morale is down because I have stayed true to the course of ‘unmasking the illusion’ and pushing people past their limits of comfort regarding conversations around race, then I’ll take whatever label people want to place on me.”
The mayor also believes it is essential for the leadership in Charlottesville to be unified.
While there were numerous vacancies in city hall beginning in 2021, the council will not begin the official process of hiring another city manager until two other councilors are sworn in. These hires and resignations are a part of a numerous chain of leadership shifts in Charlottesville.
Mayor Walker, however, remains unfazed and says she will continue to “unmask the illusion”, a promise she made in her campaign that entails determining inequalities throughout the community and addressing them.
