Danville mourns death of city manager

Danvillians who knew him were universally shocked and saddened at learning of the death of City Manager M. Lyle Lacy III, 63, who passed away at his home Wednesday.

People used words like integrity, modesty, humility, fair, above-board, motivating and determined to improve the lives of the citizens of Danville in describing Lacy.

“Lyle always saw opportunities to make things better instead of problems,” Mayor Sherman Saunders said. “His motto was, ‘What you can imagine, you can achieve.’”

Lacy took a medical leave of absence Feb. 25, telling staff he would resign if he could not return to work by March 31. Many members of City Council said they had spoken to him in recent days, but had no idea they would lose a well-respected friend and leader so soon.

Lacy died following a battle with cancer.

The South Hill native was hired as the city’s deputy city manager in 1999. The then-city manager, A. Ray Griffin, said Lacy was chosen out of a pool of about 170 applicants for the position.

Lacy acted as interim city manager when Griffin left, and again when former city manager Jerry Gwaltney retired in June 2008.

After a national search that drew more than 60 candidates from 21 states for the city manager spot, Danville City Council unanimously appointed Lacy city manager effective March 1, 2009.

“We couldn’t find a single person to come close to what you’re doing now,” Councilman David Luther said at the time.

Lacy had been involved in major projects in the region, including acquiring federal funds to replace the Robertson Bridge, working with the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors on the joint industrial mega park project and coordinating with the Office of Economic Development on the sale of the White Mill, as well as with the day-to-day operation of the city.

“He had his hands on many projects since 1999,” Acting City Manager Joe King said. “His influence was on all kinds of projects, and the people he worked with, for over a decade.”

Prior to coming to Danville, Lacy worked as town manager in Front Royal and as city manager in Oak Ridge, Tenn., Marietta, Ga., and Alliance, Neb.

King’s position as deputy city manager in Danville was the third time he worked with Lacy, who he considers a long-time mentor and friend.

What’s next
Danville City Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday at 2 p.m. to appoint Joe King, the acting city manager, as interim city manager. The meeting will be held on the fourth floor conference room of the Municipal Building.

Memorial planned

Lacy is survived by his wife, Mary Ann; a son, Matthew Lyle Lacy IV, and his fiancé, Kristen Watkins; a daughter, Laura Lacy Hamilton, her husband, Timothy, and their three children, Wyatt, Sam and Nora; and an extended family.

A memorial service will be held March 14 at 2 p.m. at Townes Funeral Home.

What they’re saying
“Danville has lost a fighter, an advocate and a great public servant in the unfortunate passing of Lyle Lacy. Lyle focused every day on improving the lives of the people he served, and pursued that focus with humor and realism,” Rep. Tom Perriello said in a prepared statement. “He was a joy to work with and will be greatly missed. My prayers are with his family at this difficult time.”

“Lyle served the city of Danville at a time we’ve had real challenges, and he was a fine example of what a public servant should be … he was the ideal,” state Sen. Robert Hurt said. “I was able to work with him on issues that affected our shared constituency; you couldn’t ask for a better man. I am deeply saddened, and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to his family and the citizens he served.”

“He was a person of great integrity. In the political world, you want to make sure people you’re talking to are truthful, and with Lyle you always knew that — you could depend 100-percent if he told you something, he had researched it and done his homework,” Delegate Danny Marshall said. “The city of Danville is a better place because of Lyle Lacy’s service.”

“The primary reason I came to Danville was to work with him,” Acting City Manager Joe King said. “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s been a mentor and a friend; he’s a genuinely nice person.”

“We understand death for the first time when it puts its hand on a special person, a special brother,” Councilman Larry Campbell said. “He was a visionary, a hard worker, honest, straight-forward — we are praying for his family in their hour of grief. We pray the city respects his integrity and continues to move forward.”

“He was masterful at getting things done; he commanded respect, not demanded it, and he empowered his staff to get things done,” Mayor Sherman Saunders said. “People loved him; they did things because they wanted to do them for Lyle.”

“Lyle was an outstanding person and a great city leader; he had the respect of all who knew him,” Vice Mayor T. Wayne Oakes said. “He was a great communicator and will be sorely missed.”

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for Lyle; he was great for the city of Danville,” Councilman Gary Miller said. “He picked up the ball and kept running with it; he did an outstanding job and we will miss him.”

“Lyle was a true Virginia gentleman. His death is a great loss to the city of Danville and its citizens,” Councilman Buddy Rawley said. “For 11 years he was the backbone of the city, and the citizens of Danville were No. 1 on his list.”

“He’s going to be missed greatly; he was a great leader and a great man to work with,” Councilwoman Ruby Archie said. “He loved Danville and did all he could to make sure Danville improved. Oh, we will miss him so much!”

“The city lost a great leader and I, and so many people, have lost a great friend,” Councilman Adam Tomer said. “He was a wonderful champion of Danville and really believed in this community. So much that’s been done the last 10 years can be credited to Lyle Lacy — he moved boulders in the shadows, never wanting credit for himself. He poured his heart and soul into Danville.”

“He was a great man and we’re certainly going to miss,” Hank Davis, chairman of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, said. “He’s worked very hard to make the mega park a reality, and he’s been good for Danville and the region.”

“He was a real gentleman; he acted the same to everyone and greeted everyone with a smile,” Coy Harville, chairman of the Regional Industrial Facility Authority and member of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors, said. “Lyle and I were real close, going back to 1999; we built our friendship at Schoolfield Lunch, having corned beef, cabbage, mashed potatoes and corn bread on Fridays. It’s been tough … but he left a lot here for us to continue with.”

“Danville has had a terrible loss. He was a dedicated and faithful servant, and a friend to business and economic growth,” Laurie Moran, president of the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, said. “Much of the progress in the region in recent years can be attributed to Lyle.”

“I’ve never met anyone with more integrity; he treated everyone fairly and with much wisdom and compassion,” James “Mac” Doss, retired director of customer service for Danville Utilities, said. “He was always there, always available, always had an open-door policy. He had the qualities of a perfect gentleman; you don’t find them that way very often. We have lost a great man.”

“It’s a sad place here today. He ran everything and just got the job done without looking for credit for himself,” Jeremy Stratton, director of Economic Development, said. “He was very supportive of economic development — he got things done and just wanted to do what’s best for Danville.”

“Lyle was a dear man and a dear friend; he started off every conversation by saying, ‘Hello, Sunshine!’” Paulette Dean, executive director of the Danville Area Humane Society, said. “He gave me great advice many times.”

“It’s a terrible loss for the city; he was the epitome of a city manager and a person. He wore lots of hats, and every one of the fit him perfectly. I had the utmost respect for him; he always wanted to get the right thing done,” Councilman Fred Shanks said. “I’m sad we’ve lost such a wonderful Southern gentleman. I feel deeply for his family and appreciate them sharing him with Danville and the region for the last 11 years.”

“I’ve never met anyone like Lyle; he did so much and never tried to stand out in front and get credit for it,” Councilman David Luther said. “He was a humble person, extremely thorough and very bright. I’ve received lots of condolence calls today (from citizens Lyle helped); that speaks a lot. He has left a big void in this city.”

“Mr. Lacy is going to be missed,” City Finance Director Barbara Dameron said. “His integrity and drive to do the best was an inspiration for his staff to do the same. He inspired us to do things right and reach for the next level, to reach for improvements in our jobs.”

“It has truly been a pleasure working with Mr. Lacy; he’s a good, honest man,” City Clerk Annette Crane said. “He had great integrity and you could believe what he said. He’s going to be sorely missed around here.”

“Lyle was a role model of what a public servant should be,” City Attorney Clarke Whitfield said. “He’s been a mentor to me on how to be a public servant and I hope the lessons I learned carry me through the rest of my career. I don’t know that I’ve worked with someone with so much integrity, energy and passion for what he does.”