Prince William County Executive Melissa Peacor will hang it up after 30 years on the job.
Peacor is in charge of overseeing all operations of Prince William County Government. She reports directly to the Board of Supervisors.
County officials issued this statement tonight:
On Tuesday, Dec. 1, County Executive Melissa Peacor announced her plan to retire after 30 years of service to Prince William County. Peacor’s retirement will be effective January 31, 2016.“I am proud of the career I have had here in Prince William County. I am honored to have served alongside so many amazing women and men who share my passion and commitment to public service,” said Peacor. “The Boy Scouts have a saying, ‘Leave this world a little better than you found it.’ I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to make an impact on this community and leave it, I hope, a little better than I found it when I arrived 30 years ago.”Peacor started her career in Prince William County with the Planning Office and served as the County’s first Strategic Planning Coordinator overseeing the Future 2010 Report and first citizen-based strategic planning process. In 1997, Peacor was named the Budget Director and in 1999, was promoted to Deputy County Executive. Peacor was appointed by the Board of County Supervisors to serve as the County Executive in 2010.“Ms. Peacor has been a tremendous asset to Prince William County,” said Corey Stewart, Chairman of the Board of County Supervisors. “She worked with this Board to achieve its first triple AAA bond rating, reduce county budget expenditures, and bring needed infrastructure to the County. We cannot replace what she has brought to this community or organization, but we wish her all the best on her new endeavors.”Peacor will continue her involvement in higher education helping to encourage a new generation to enter a career in public service. She also looks to spend more time with her family.
Peacor underwent an annual performance review earlier this year when she was awarded a raise that her boosted her annual salary to just under $250,000 per year.
The retirement announcement comes after the Prince William County Board of Supervisors launched an investigation to find out if county police officers were properly notifying federal immigration and customs workers when they encountered someone on the street with a administrative, or deportation warrant. The police department launched an internal investigation into why the process wasn’t followed in about half of the cases.
Police officers are not permitted to arrest individuals with deportation orders and are to report them to ICE, said Prince William County Chairman At-large Corey Stewart.
Peacor’s retirement is not related to the ICE investigation, said Prince William County spokesman Jason Grant.
Prince William County is the second-most populous jurisdiction in Virginia behind Fairfax County.
