Manassas re-hired its former public works director, Steve Burke.
The City of Manassas is pleased to announce the selection of Steve Burke as the City of Manassas Public Works Director after Scott Horan retires on Jan. 1, 2024. Steve Burke previously served as Public Works Director from 2016 – 2018 until he was hired as Town Manager at the Town of Luray, Virginia.
Burke comes to the City with more than 20 years of experience in local government. In his role as Town Manager for Luray, he oversaw the daily operations of the town, to include: serving as Zoning Administrator, developing and managing the annual operating budget and capital improvement budget, community outreach and COVID-19 response for Luray.
Prior to working in Luray and for the City, Burke served as Town Manager for Front Royal, Virginia. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida. Burke will begin with the City on Jan. 2, 2024.
Burke’s hiring comes amid changes at multiple city departments. Earlier this year, utilities chief Tony Dawood left the city amid what he called “unprecedented” power outages.
Today, about 85 customers downtown were without power.
Earlier this year, the city erected a power transformer it had hauled in from Pennsylvania to shore up the system. Residents in the Battery Heights neighborhood have been significantly affected by the outages this year.
Manassas owns and maintains the electric distribution system, consisting of 205 miles of primary lines, 15,150 electric meters, six electric substations, and 31 diesel generators that reduce electric costs for about 43,000 residents.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported Burke would serve as utilities director.
