Suffolk city manager resigns

Suffolk City Manager Patrick Roberts has resigned, effective Oct. 2.

Suffolk City Council accepted Roberts’ resignation during a special meeting on Monday evening after returning from a closed session. Albert Moor was appointed as interim city manager and will assume the position Oct. 3. 

“It is with extremely heavy hearts that we have agreed to accept the resignation of Patrick Roberts as of Oct. 2, 2020,” Mayor Linda Johnson said in a statement. “Patrick Roberts has been a tremendous asset to our city, and we are all sad to see him go. He leaves our city a much better place. We wish he and his family the absolute best future ever, and we know that he will be successful wherever he goes. Thank you, Patrick. We appreciate you more than you will ever know.”

The reason for his resignation was not released. After Roberts’ contract renewal last year, Johnson said that “Roberts was a sought-after commodity in the Hampton Roads region,” according to reports.

“I don’t think people realize until you really do see in the region, the value of Pat Roberts,” Johnson told the Suffolk News-Herald.

Roberts was named city manager on Sept. 16, 2015, by a unanimous city council vote after serving in the interim position since May of that year. He had previously served as deputy city manager since 2008 and worked for the city of Suffolk as assistant director in the department of planning and community development. 

He came to Suffolk after working for the city of Richmond as a senior assistant to the chief administrative officer and also held positions in Richmond’s departments of public works, community development, the city manager’s office and the city auditor’s office. 

The Portsmouth native graduated from Virginia Military Institute and earned his master’s degree in public administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

On July 1, Moor became the interim deputy city manager following the retirement of Scott Mills, who had served the city of Suffolk for 33 years before his retirement. He had previously served as the director of public utilities, a position in which he had served since 1995. He has worked in public service for more than 36 years.

Moor earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering technology from Old Dominion University and has completed several senior executive leadership institutes. His salary was announced at $190,000 per year.

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