Kirby Bowers, Praised for Managing Government Finances, Is Retiring

Kirby Bowers, the public official who helped see Loudoun County through a housing boom and record-shattering population growth, announced yesterday that he is retiring after 31 years with the county, including nearly 17 as its top executive.

As Loudoun County administrator, Bowers oversaw the day-to-day operations of county departments and agencies under the direct control of the county Board of Supervisors. He worked closely with county staff in the development, analysis and review of the county's budget, and presented it annually to the board.

Bowers's announcement comes less than two weeks before he will present county leaders with one of their toughest budgets in years; they will need to close a $200 million funding gap.

His steady hand with the county's finances may be his most significant legacy, several county supervisors said yesterday. He helped Loudoun become one of only 22 counties in the country to attain AAA ratings with all three major bond-rating agencies -- "no small thing," said Chairman Scott K. York (I-At Large).

"That is quite an accomplishment, especially for a county growing as fast as Loudoun," agreed Supervisor James Burton (I-Blue Ridge).

At a news conference yesterday at the Loudoun County Government Center, Bowers said he regretted leaving as the economic picture has darkened.

"It's not the best time for me to be leaving," Bowers said. "[But] the opportunity came along. I'm highly confident that there are structures in place that'll see this thing through."

Bowers, 56, will be taking a position as executive director of the Triangle J Council of Governments, a voluntary organization of municipal and county governments in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. Bowers said he was ready for something new, especially as he faces an empty nest in the fall when his second child heads to college.

Deputy Loudoun County Administrator Linda A. Neri will serve as interim county administrator while the Board of Supervisors initiates a national search for a permanent replacement.

Bowers was hired in Loudoun government in 1977 as an assistant to county administrator Philip A. Bolen. In 1982, he became the county's first budget director. In 1988, Bowers was promoted to assistant county administrator, and became deputy county administrator the next year. By 1991, Bowers was acting county administrator. He assumed the position permanently in 1992.

Bowers's tenure as county administrator was characterized by unprecedented growth. Since the early 1990s, the county's population has more than tripled, from less than 90,000 to more than 283,000. In recent years, Loudoun has ranked first in the nation both in the rate of population growth and in median household income.

His retirement will take effect April 1.