The Virginia Beach City Manager is the appointed chief executive who runs day-to-day operations for Virginia’s most populous city, hired by the City Council rather than elected by voters. Patrick A. Duhaney currently holds the position, overseeing an organization that serves roughly 454,000 residents across about 245 square miles.1U.S. Census Bureau. Virginia Beach City, Virginia – QuickFacts The role carries broad authority over hiring, budgeting, emergency response, and the supervision of every city department.2City of Virginia Beach. City Leadership
How the Job Is Filled and Lost
Under Section 4.01 of the Virginia Beach Charter, the City Council appoints the city manager based solely on executive and administrative qualifications. There is no residency requirement, so the council can recruit from anywhere in the country.3Virginia Code Commission. Charter – Virginia Beach The position never appears on a ballot.
The manager serves at the pleasure of the council, which means the council can remove the manager through a vote at any time. Employment contracts typically spell out severance and transition terms, but the charter itself places no procedural hurdles on removal beyond the council’s own decision. That at-pleasure arrangement is the main accountability lever: the manager answers to the council, and the council answers to voters.
The structure sits within Virginia’s council-manager framework, authorized by Virginia Code 15.2-1540.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-1540 – Chief Administrative Officer The council sets policy, passes ordinances, and approves the budget; the manager carries those decisions out. Section 4.03 of the charter reinforces the boundary by prohibiting council members from directing the manager to hire or fire specific employees.3Virginia Code Commission. Charter – Virginia Beach
What the Manager Runs
Virginia Code 15.2-1541 designates the city manager as the administrative head of the local government, responsible for the proper management of all affairs the governing body controls.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-1541 – Administrative Head of Government In practice, that means oversight of every city department, from police and fire to public works and parks. The statute specifically requires the manager to enforce all city ordinances and applicable state laws, receive reports from department heads, and direct those departments.
Section 4.02 of the charter adds the power to appoint and remove all city officers and employees, with limited exceptions written into the charter itself.3Virginia Code Commission. Charter – Virginia Beach The manager can delegate hiring and firing authority to subordinates. Concentrating personnel power in one office prevents individual council members from building their own staffing operations inside city hall.
The current leadership team supporting the manager includes three deputy city managers: Kenneth L. Chandler, Amanda Jarratt, and Monica Croskey.6City of Virginia Beach. City Manager Each deputy oversees a portfolio of departments, distributing oversight across a very large organization without losing centralized accountability.
Budget Authority
State law requires the city manager to submit a proposed annual budget to the council each year.5Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 15.2-1541 – Administrative Head of Government For Virginia Beach, that budget covers personnel across dozens of departments, service delivery costs, debt obligations, and a Capital Improvement Program for major infrastructure. The fiscal year runs July 1 through June 30, and the manager typically presents the proposed budget in the spring so the council has time to hold public hearings and adopt a final version before the new fiscal year begins.
The manager also proposes tax rate adjustments and fee schedules when the city’s revenue needs change. These are recommendations only; the council retains final authority over all spending and taxation decisions. Regular financial reports track whether actual revenue and spending match the adopted budget, and the manager is expected to flag problems early rather than let shortfalls build.
Emergency Management Authority
The city manager also serves as Virginia Beach’s Director of Emergency Management, a designation that carries significant authority during hurricanes, flooding, and other crises common to a coastal city.7City of Virginia Beach. Virginia Beach Emergency Operations Plan Under Virginia Code 44-146.21, the local director can declare a local emergency with the consent of the governing body. If the council cannot convene because of the disaster itself, the director can declare unilaterally, subject to council confirmation within 45 days or at the next regular meeting.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 44-146.21 – Declaration of Local Emergency
During an active declaration, the director can restrict the distribution of essential supplies, enter into emergency contracts, hire temporary workers, and bypass normal procurement procedures. Maintaining and revising the city’s Emergency Operations Plan is also part of the job, which matters given Virginia Beach’s exposure to coastal storms and tidal flooding.
Ethics Rules That Bind the Office
The city manager and all city employees are subject to both the Virginia Beach Code of Ethics and the state-level Conflict of Interests Act found in Virginia Code 2.2-3100 through 2.2-3127.9Virginia Code Commission. State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act The state act prohibits officers and employees from using confidential information for personal financial benefit, soliciting money for services performed within official duties, or accepting gifts that could reasonably influence their decisions.
The city’s own ethics code tightens several rules locally.10City of Virginia Beach. Code of Ethics Employees cannot use city-negotiated vendor prices for personal purchases. Secondary employment with a private contractor that does business with the city is generally prohibited, and any outside work at all requires prior written approval. Using an official position to recommend specific companies to residents is banned outright. The city also prohibits employing relatives in a direct supervisory relationship, and employees involved in hiring decisions affecting close friends are expected to recuse themselves.
Under the state act, a “personal interest” that triggers disclosure and recusal includes ownership exceeding three percent of a business’s equity, annual income above $5,000 from a business or property, or personal liability exceeding three percent of a business’s assets.9Virginia Code Commission. State and Local Government Conflict of Interests Act Even modest financial entanglements can create a legal obligation to disclose and step back from a decision.
Compensation
Patrick Duhaney’s annual salary was set at $323,380 following a raise in 2025, along with a $9,000 annual car allowance and a city contribution to his deferred compensation account equal to six percent of his salary.