Former Leesburg mayor Robert Sevila has been named as Leonard "Hobie" Mitchel's replacement on the Commonwealth Transportation Board.
Mitchel announced he was stepping down from the governor-appointed body last week amid claims of conflict of interest from critics — he is a major developer, and the Commonwealth Transportation Board controls the state's transportation purse strings.
Mitchel went so far as to seek an opinion from Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, who found that Mitchel did not in fact have a conflict of interest based on the information Mitchel provided.
Sevila will take over Mitchel's post after he steps down on March 31. Sevila was the mayor of Leesburg from 1982-1992 and is currently an attorney with Sevila, Saunders, Huddleston & White in Leesburg. He served as chairman of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce in 2003.
— Suzannah Evans