MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Montgomery County administrator Clay Goodman, center, was honored in a reception prior to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting in Christiansburg Monday. Goodman is leaving his post in Montgomery for neighboring Roanoke County. Speaking with Goodman during the reception are Jim Politis, left, of the Montgomery county board of Supervisors and Ann Hess, right, a former member of the board.

MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Montgomery County administrator Clay Goodman gets a hug from Annette Perkins, left, chair of the board of supervisors, while being honored in a reception during the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors meeting in Christiansburg Monday. Goodman is leaving his post in Montgomery for neighboring Roanoke County.

CHRISTIANSBURG -- When Clay Goodman takes over Monday as administrator in Roanoke County, he leaves behind an employer who hates to see him go, to assume a new role where his experience will be vital.

Montgomery County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Annette Perkins teases Goodman about the "birthday present" he gave her when he resigned from his role as Montgomery County administrator on Dec. 15.

"He's leaving on good terms with us, although we're mad at him for leaving," she joked.

Goodman, 54, replaces former Roanoke County Administrator Elmer Hodge, who retired in June after more than two decades of service to the county.

The move to Roanoke County bumps Goodman up a notch in terms of population and pay. With some 90,500 people in his new county, he will administer to several thousand more people than in Montgomery County. His new salary is $152,000; he is paid $132,590 as Montgomery County's administrator.

Goodman, a Christiansburg native and Virginia Tech grad, is leaving his hometown, but he returns to the area he called home for 11 years. Prior to coming to Montgomery County, he served as the town manager of Vinton and saw his two children graduate from William Byrd High School.

"We had some strong ties there in that community and look forward to renewing those," Goodman said.

While he is happy to begin his "dream job" and reconnect with government officials he previously worked with, Goodman understands that the reunion will be short-lived as there are key issues at hand that need his attention.

"Right now, the immediate issue at Roanoke County is the budget," Goodman said.

Roanoke County Supervisor Charlotte Moore also sees the budget as the biggest issue facing Goodman.

"I think the county is in pretty good shape; it's just the shortfalls with the budget and what we're not getting with the state now," she said. "It's just making it tough now on every locality."

Other pressing issues, Goodman said, involve capital projects that are already under way, including a new fire station and a central garage, and the rebidding of a new library building.

Each of these issues is affected by the current economic downturn, which will have an as-yet-unknown effect on their funding, Goodman said.

Hit the ground running

Perkins said the individual Montgomery County hires to fill Goodman's position will have to "hit the ground running."

"We would like somebody with experience and we certainly would like someone who understands Virginia law, because we are a very unusual state," Perkins said.

She said while the current conditions allow less of a learning curve for Goodman's successor, this does not preclude a candidate who may not have much experience.

Montgomery County's key issues moving forward also involve capital projects, Perkins said, including a new courthouse and revamping of the current one, construction of new schools and an animal shelter.

The budget for Montgomery County is nearing finalization, but these projects may depend on stimulus package money, and it is unknown what amount will be received, Perkins said.

The application period for Goodman's position ended today, and 35 applications were received, as of Friday. Montgomery County opted to conduct the search instead of hiring a firm, which is what they did last time around, when Goodman was hired.

Perkins said the county hopes to hire someone with some financial expertise who is accustomed to managing a system the size of Montgomery County or close to it. She stressed that she and the board would take whatever time is necessary to hire someone to ensure that the right decision is made.

"We have no qualms about starting over again," if a candidate is not found in this round of applications, Perkins said.

In the interim, Assistant Montgomery County Administrator Carol Edmonds will fill Goodman's position beginning Monday. Edmonds and Goodman attended school together from first grade through high school.

"Although we both left the area for a number of years, we both returned to work for Montgomery County. When he first came to work at the county, it was much like a class reunion," Edmonds said.

During the interim and beyond, Goodman will still have a hand in the well-being of Montgomery County.

"I'll remain open and available to Carol during the interim and also whoever the board chooses to appoint as the new county administrator," Goodman said.

When asked whether she intends to apply for Goodman's position, Edmonds said her focus is on the budget and other projects in progress. As of the morning of the deadline, Perkins said she hadn't received an application from Edmonds.

Experience will help Goodman

Though he will help Montgomery County with its transition, Goodman hopes to adjust to his own job quickly to respond to the challenges Roanoke County faces.

"I've always heard it takes six months to a year to learn the necessary items to do your job, but hopefully I can speed that up," Goodman said.

Goodman said he hopes his 28 years of experience in government -- including stints in West Virginia, Georgia and Buena Vista before his jobs in Vinton and Montgomery County -- will lend itself to decreasing the learning curve, especially because Vinton is part of Roanoke County.

Goodman said the key to every one of these positions was to "do the right thing" every day. Though Goodman exudes optimism when speaking about his different government roles, not all of his days have been sunny.

He said one of the biggest challenges of his career took place when he was manager of Buena Vista and the city was trying to build a flood wall during economically challenging times.

More recently, as Montgomery County's administrator, Goodman had his hands full backing the county in the lawsuit it filed against the state last year.

Montgomery County filed suit against Virginia to halt the state's plan to give Norfolk Southern Corp. more than $31 million to build an intermodal rail yard in Elliston, claiming the state violated its Constitution by financing a private transportation company.

"Fortunately, our county attorneys did the bulk of that load, but working with board members and meeting with state officials through this process I learned that it takes a lot of time and energy, a lot more than people think," Goodman said.

Goodman said he went to Richmond numerous times to discuss the board's opposition to the project, and that the suit is still in the discovery stage.

In his new position, the first order of business will be to ask the Roanoke County supervisors for guidance so he will know what they want and figure out how best to accommodate them, Goodman said.

Open-door policy

Goodman said he had an open-door policy in Montgomery County. He said he plans to carry that policy with him to his new position so that communication is solid.

Moore has been on the board since January 2008, but said she had worked with Hodge for years. Some of the qualities she said Hodge possessed are similar to Goodman's open-door policy.

"He was very personable, he was always available to answer questions and answer the phone. There was always a very quick response any time you'd try to get in touch with him," Moore said.

Perkins said communication and relationship-building are two of Goodman's strongest features. She said he not only smoothly collaborated with Montgomery County's board, but built relationships within the county, in addition to Christiansburg and Blacksburg, Virginia Tech, Radford and Radford University.

Goodman said he prides himself on getting the ball rolling on a regional 911 authority involving those entities, in addition to some boundary adjustments and other agreements with Christiansburg that were inked during his tenure. He said he plans to continue these types of regional consolidations of resources as Roanoke County administrator.

"No person can act like they're an island unto themselves anymore; we just don't have the resources to be able to do that," Goodman said.

Montgomery County and Roanoke County will continue to work together, as they are both members of the Western Virginia Regional Jail Authority, which is putting the finishing touches on its new facility.

Mike Altizer, chairman of the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors, described Goodman as a "workaholic" when working with him during his stint as Vinton town manager and observing him in Montgomery County.

He said he expects the same in Goodman's new role.

"I know he'll be the same way here. He takes his job very seriously and he's dedicated to whatever locality he's working for," Altizer said.

Altizer said their previous experience working together played a role in his choosing Goodman over other candidates.

"For me, it was just working with him -- his character is beyond reproach," Altizer said.

When comparing Goodman to Hodge, Altizer said "they're both quite similar" in that they both do a lot of work behind the scenes.

He described Goodman as a "very low-key guy," and said that he is the quieter of the two, but he isn't worried because he knows Goodman speaks up on any issue he feels strongly about, even when it is not a popular opinion.

"He's very conservative, and he tends to probably get things done pretty quickly, but making sure that he has done his due diligence in things that he's done," Altizer said.

Montgomery County Supervisor Gary Creed said Goodman's low-key demeanor and work ethic make him an excellent county administrator, which will help him as he moves to a different governing body.

"He has a very easy-going demeanor. He doesn't seem to work his people with a whip; he does it with ease and with understanding. Rather than trying to push things forward, he seems to try to lead kind of by example," Creed said.

Family, football and good books

When Goodman's mind isn't drifting away as he delves into a science-fiction novel or history book, he said it's not uncommon for him to attend a Tech football or basketball game.

He said another one of his hobbies is spending time with his family. His 24-year-old daughter, Julie, is also a Tech alum, and his son, Andy, 27, lives in Durham, N.C.

Goodman said he looks to family for inspiration, particularly to his late father, for whom he said he still has great admiration.

"It's amazing how he got smarter as I got older," Goodman said.

In his profession, Goodman said he admires former Vinton Mayor Charles Hill, who died in 2004.

"I had the good fortune to work with him for nine years," Goodman said.

Outside of adjusting to a new job, constructing a budget and learning the needs of his staff, Goodman said he faces another immediate issue -- selling his Blacksburg home.

He said in today's economy, this task has been tough, but Goodman and his wife, Connie, are "hopeful and optimistic" that it will sell, allowing them to start fresh in Roanoke County.

Though Goodman looks forward to returning to the area where his children lived the longest, he will miss Montgomery County.

"I've enjoyed the opportunity to come back to my home area, working with the people and working together in a collaborative approach to try to obtain some of these things," he said.

Goodman said he is thankful that the supervisors, county staff and residents have been helpful and supportive of him and his family. He said he hopes to keep the close relationships he has made during his tenure, and takes solace in the fact that he is only moving to an adjoining county.

"I'm not going far," he said.