Ervin to Discuss “Legislation by Design”

Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin

Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia will be among the leaders addressing the Richmond City Council at its fall retreat on the University of Richmond campus on Sept. 30.

Councilmember Ervin will participate in a panel discussion with University of Richmond School of Law Dean John Douglass and former Richmond City Council President Bill Pantele beginning at 11:20 a.m. on Monday.

The retreat will be held in the Jepson Alumni Center at the University of Richmond from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The theme for this year’s retreat is “SEAL: Strengthening Effective and Assertive Leadership” and hopes to foster dialogue to determine how local leaders can successfully manage both the challenges and opportunities of local government.

Ervin will participate in a panel discussion on “Legislation by Design.” It will focus on how the City Council can better define its role in the local government since Richmond transitioned from a council-manager to council-mayor form of government. R. Ronald Jordan, the vice chairman and managing director of Advantus Strategies, will facilitate the panel as they discuss ways to help the City Council work collaboratively with Mayor Dwight Jones.

“I am delighted that Richmond officials invited me to share my legislative experience with them,” said Ervin, who is in her second term on the Montgomery Council, served as Council president from 2010-11 and previously served on the County’s Board of Education. “There are so many outstanding leaders in the Washington Metropolitan area they could have invited to participate in this panel. I am honored that the City of Richmond invited me to share what I have learned over my decade of public service.”

John Douglass and Bill Pantele will join Ervin in the panel discussion. Douglass is a professor of law at the University of Richmond and has been with the school since 1996. He has previously worked as the Assistant United State’s Attorney and chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Richmond Office of the U.S. States Attorney’s. Pantele is an attorney in Richmond and served as a member of the Richmond City Council from 2001-08.

Ervin will share her experiences developing innovative public policy initiatives. For instance, she will share how she effectively led the Montgomery County Council through extremely difficult budget times.

About Staff Writer

View all posts by Staff Writer