Gary O’Connell may have left city politics behind when he accepted the position of executive director of the Albemarle County Service Authority, but 15 years at the helm of city government are hard to forget. So hard, in fact, that the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) awarded O’Connell the 2010 Tourism Achievement Award.
“Through Gary’s leadership and vision during his tenure at the City of Charlottesville, he has helped to unite the community and enhanced the vitality of our regional tourism industry,” said Kurt Burkhart, CACVB executive director, in a press release.
O’Connell joins a pantheon of former winners including Leonard Sandridge, UVA’s Chief Operating Officer, in 2009; Felicia Rogan, of former Oakencroft Vineyard in 2005; Patricia Kluge, for her work with the Virginia Film Festival in 1999; and former Charlottesville Mayor Kay Slaughter in 1997.