She is donating her time to her city - as its manager

FRANKLIN 

After the City Council offered her the job as Franklin's interim city manager, June Fleming shared her surprise.

Of course, she wanted to work. She wanted to spend at least 40 hours a week overseeing a staff of nearly 200 and an operating budget of $22 million.

And she wanted to do it for free.

Silence.

"Everyone's jaw dropped," Mayor Jim Councill said.

"I wanted to say, 'Can't you spell volunteer?' " Fleming said, laughing, from her new corner office in Franklin's City Hall. "This community has been very good to us. My husband and I, we said, here's a gift we can give. I really feel I owe this to the community."

And that's how Fleming, who served until 2000 as the city manager of Palo Alto, Calif. - home to roughly 60,000 people, Stanford University and some of the nation's biggest technology firms - became the chief executive of Franklin, population less than 9,000.

In a field where most say they're doing the work of the people while collecting six-figure salaries, she's taking the notion of public service to a new level.

"We just feel like our ship has come in," Councill said, adding that of five applicants for the job, the council interviewed only Fleming because her work

experience stood out. "Not only do we have the best-qualified, but she wants to serve."

Fleming and her husband, Roscoe, arrived in Franklin eight years ago, having been lured from across the country by a daughter who lived there at the time. She was looking for tranquillity. A workaholic who had spent more than 30 years in Palo Alto city government, she wanted to focus on her family.

But it didn't take long for the couple to get pulled into the community. Roscoe, a former manager with Lockheed Martin, was tapped for the city's airport board. June, who began her career as a librarian, served on the Blackwater Regional Library Board.

Then in July, Rowland "Bucky" Taylor, Franklin's longtime manager, was chosen to lead the Southeastern Public Service Authority. Fleming's husband encouraged her to apply for the interim job. The city is searching for a permanent city manager, which will likely take until the end of

the year, council members said.

"She still has her energy. She has a no-nonsensical approach to things," said Taylor, who said his successor is "right at home" in her job. "She doesn't have to mince words a lot. She knows where her opinions are, her interests are. You don't have to worry about where she stands. She'll tell you."

Councill said the city needed someone who could keep Franklin moving forward on projects while containing expenses.

Fleming, who refuses to reveal her age despite records that show she is well into her 70s, said she's definitely not interested in just keeping a seat warm.

"I know I'm a better leader than a follower," she said. "I didn't come here purposely to change things, but where I see things that can be done better, yeah, we're going to change."

At a staff meeting last week, she drummed her French-manicured fingertips on the table to emphasize her words as she spoke with 13 department heads.

She asked about the status of her ongoing inquiry into employees' use of city cars, credit cards and cell phones. She modified the employee leave policy, and talked about next year's budget.

Back in her office, she said her eight years of retirement vanished the moment she arrived at her first council meeting in late July.

"It wasn't hard for me to get back in the saddle again," she said. "Issues remain the same wherever you are. The scale may be different, but people are people. They want quality service."

Fleming receives a $400-a-month stipend to offset travel and any other expenses. The city doesn't pay her health insurance, nor does it fund any retirement. Considering Franklin usually pays its city manager about $120,000 a year, Councill figures the city is saving $10,000 a month with Fleming in charge.

At a time when city governments across Virginia are cutting their budgets and freezing positions - Franklin instituted a hiring freeze in July - that salary savings is significant, he said. His only worry, he said, is that Fleming might work far more than 40-hour weeks.

Fleming, who spends a good part of her time out of her office talking to community leaders and city employees, said she doesn't worry about that.

"I can do it with energy and enthusiasm because I know there's a light at the end," she said, adding she isn't interested in a permanent position. "And I feel honored I get the opportunity to do this."

Meghan Hoyer, (757) 446-2293, meghan.hoyer@pilotonline.com