Image courtesy of the City of Alexandria
City of Alexandria’s new city manager is coming from Arlington, but probably not the Arlington that first comes to mind. On Wednesday evening James Parajon was appointed as the new City Manager at a special meeting of the City Council. Parajon previously worked as Deputy City Manager in Arlington, Texas.
Parajon was selected following a months-long search and community engagement process that began after current city manager, Mark Jinks, announced his retirement in June.
City council member Mo Seifeldein was the only member to vote against installing Parajon despite his comments prior to the vote when he said, “We had robust, qualified candidates and we had robust community engagement about these individuals and I am confident that the selected individual, Mr. Parajon, will be able to do a good job and move the city forward.”
“We are excited to welcome Jim to be our city manager. I think everyone who went through this process and had the opportunity to talk to you, came away impressed knowing that you were going to approach this position that we are placing you in tonight, with a planners background and someone who approaches issues with incredible insight,” Mayor Justin Wilson said during Wednesday’s meeting.
Parajon has nearly three decades of experience as a city planner. He worked for the cities of Raleigh and Cary, North Carolina and in private consulting firms before he was hired by Arlington, Texas in 2006, where his most recent position was as Deputy City Manager. Arlington is perhaps most famous as the home of the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Rangers sports teams but the city of 400,000 people is also known for being one of the most diverse cities in the country.
In 2014 Parajon was elected to the College of Fellows for the American Institute of Certified Planners. He has presented at national and regional conferences and served as an adjunct professor for the University of Texas at Arlington.
Photo by Alexandria Living Magazine
Parajon expressed excitement about his move to Alexandria. “I am really looking forward to being a part of this community. I am looking forward to spending quality time with you and really understanding what it means to live in the city, and what your lives look like, and what our organization can do to better your lives,” Parajon said.
Resident input and accountability of city government have been a sore topic in Alexandria over the past couple years. Parajon addressed this concern in his remarks. “You are going see a person of high integrity, professionalism and accountability. My teams are going to be collaborative and my teams are going to focus all the attention on the residents of Alexandria,” he explained.
When asked about his view on the city applying for and receiving grants for development projects and only seeking community input after the fact, Parajon gave a cautious answer: “I’d like to understand a little bit more about it, but in general, any time you are taking action it needs to be based on community input, community engagement. It’s really not going to be very successful if we get a grant for something that is not needed for the community,” Parajon said.
He went on to say that it would be presumptuous to make changes right away. Instead he will spend the first few months on the job learning about the community and understanding its specific needs.
Parajon will be relocating to Alexandria with his wife, Elizabeth, an educator, which will be an East Coast homecoming of sorts. Parajon was raised in Poughkeepsie, New York and graduated from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania before completed his master’s degree in Regional Planning at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Photo by Alexandria Living Magazine
“I love Old Town all the history and the architecture of it, I’m looking forward to getting to know it,” Elizabeth told Alexandria Living Magazine. She has been struck by how friendly and welcome everybody has been.
Parjon echoed similar sentiments about his observations of Alexandria so far. “I’m struck by its blend of history and new construction the way it works. As an urban planner, that’s really exciting. The vibrancy of the community really sticks out, you can just feel it when you’re walking through neighborhoods.”
Next month, the city will announce opportunities for community members to meet Parajon, who officially begins his new role as city manager on January 18. Until then, residents can get to know him in a short video clip released by the city below.
