Bill Ashton, Herndon Town Manager for seven years, resigns.
The two-and-a-half-month extension, needed to finalize the Herndon Downtown Redevelopment Project, is set to end on Aug. 15. The Town of Herndon and Comstock Herndon Venture, LC, agreed to the extension after amending their 2017 Comprehensive Agreement to pause construction from April 2022 to April 2024, thereby adjusting the project's timeline.
Upon the recent extension, Comstock's Chief Operating Officer Tim Steffan expressed reassurance, saying, "Comstock remains committed to the Town of Herndon and sees great value in being a part of this great community."
Initially, in April 2022, Comstock had taken advantage of its contractual entitlement to pause development for two years, citing COVID-19-related setbacks and economic repercussions. Then, two and a half months ago, at the end of April 2024, with the pause date set to expire, Comstock and the Town of Herndon extended the date to Aug. 15, 2024, to "restructure their contractual relationship … [and reflect] the realities of project development in 2024."
Bill Ashton, the town manager of Herndon since 2017, said that inflation and its impact on interest rates today significantly differ from when the town first entered into its agreement with Comstock. According to Ashton, the town endeavored to achieve a mutually beneficial process "that realizes the town's vision for our downtown and makes good business sense for Comstock."
The Town of Herndon announced Ashton's resignation on the evening of July 10. Mayor Sheila Olem accepted Ashton's resignation with "regret and sincere best wishes," according to a town release. She added that Ashton "provided thoughtful, professional counsel to Herndon's elected officials [and] principled leadership to town staff." Ashton did not publicly share the reasons for his resignation. On July 11, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors announced Ashton's appointment as their new county administrator following a national search. Ashton will assume his new position on Sept. 16.
During his tenure as the town manager, Ashton supported the Metro Silver Line development and opening of the Herndon Station, served during COVID-19, implemented cost reduction mechanisms to weather the pandemic, and maintained the town's triple AAA bond rating at all times.
In 2021, Ashton successfully turned to the county to fill a funding gap for the stalled Herndon Redevelopment Project. In 2023, he permanently canceled the long-running Herndon Festival, shifting the town's approach to smaller, more sustainable community events. He saw the town build a new and improved website and collaborated with George Mason University and Office Evolution to launch the George Mason Enterprise Center in Herndon. Ashton brought forward the town's 2024–2029 strategic plan this March.
However, most recently, the town's fiscal year 2025 budget for all funds soared nearly 20 percent, to $74,632,184 from the adopted FY 2024 budget of $62,243,805. This increase was primarily due to "inflationary pressures on materials, supplies, and labor," which drove up the baseline cost of maintaining the town's current service levels,"as stated by Ashton in the Town of Herndon Budget Book 2024.
Ashton's departure is the latest significant leadership change in the Town of Herndon. In January, the town hired a new parks and recreation director after the longtime director retired following the department's complete staff turnover. In May, the town filled the new position of economic development director, following the resignation of the previous economic development manager last year.
Early in 2017, following the retirement of the former Herndon town manager, Ashton, then Herndon's IT director, was appointed by the Herndon Town Council as acting town manager. Four months later, on June 29, 2017, Mayor Lisa Merkel and council announced that Ashton would be the permanent town manager, effective July 1, 2017. Merkel praised Ashton for demonstrating a steady hand, keen instincts, and a deep understanding of town policy, all of which were crucial for the "redevelopment of our downtown" and other vital projects.
The Town of Herndon and Comstock Herndon Venture, LC, signed the Comprehensive Agreement to establish a mixed-use project in Herndon's downtown district seven years ago this October of 2017. Comstock has not constructed any new structures in the nearly five acre redevelopment site in the downtown, either within or outside their fenced area. According to current design plans, Comstock will raze whatever is on the nearly five-acre parcel, currently with parking lots and a nonprofit's rented arts center space, and construct a mixed-use redevelopment project with 273 apartments and approximately 17,000 square feet of retail space; a 16,265-square feet Arts Center; and a 726-space parking garage.