Lance Terpenny

"To have my peers around the state vote me into the position is an honor," Terpenny said. "It makes me feel like they think I'm doing a good job, and that's rewarding."

Terpenny will chair a 13-member executive committee for the next year. The committee sets policies and priorities for the league, which is a statewide, nonprofit, nonpartisan association that was established in 1905 to improve and assist local governments through legislative advocacy, research, education and other services, according to a news release.

The league's membership includes all 39 cities in the state, 156 towns and 11 counties.

Terpenny was elected during the association's annual conference in Roanoke last month.

He is the second town manager from Christiansburg to serve as president of the league. The late John Lemley served as president from 1993 to 1994.

Terpenny said one of his reasons for wanting to serve is to help protect the interests of and to represent the towns in the state.

He said one of the league's roles is to lobby on behalf of local governments to the General Assembly. Local governments need representation at those discussions so that laws don't get enacted that might be detrimental to local governments, he said.

He said another focus for the league is to encourage policies in the state that support sustainable growth in and around urban centers to help local governments create more livable, environmentally responsible communities and to reduce urban sprawl.

Terpenny, who began working for Christiansburg in 1989, has served as town manager since 1996. Prior to his appointment as town manager, he served as assistant town manager and administrative assistant to the town manager.

Also last month, Blacksburg Mayor Ron Rordam was elected to a three-year term as an at-large member of the league's executive committee.

As one of six at-large members of the executive committee, Rordam will participate in the adoption of policies and programs that are carried out by league staff to assist local governments.

Before his election to the term, Rordam had served two one-year terms as chairman of the league's town section, which also entitled him to a seat on the executive committee.