Personal Liability of Public Officials in Virginia's Local Governments and Its Impact on Their Willingness to Serve

These are challenging times, and perhaps it is here that humans are viewed at their best and their worst. Everyone is accountable for what they say and do. And since government at all levels and its officials are not exempted, and who operate in a more open environment than they once did, primarily as a result of legislation providing for open meetings, more accessible public information, and under more open and recordable visibility, public officials must be more cautious and more aware of the decisions they make. Although a conscious effort on the part of public officials to avoid personal liability suits will help reduce the number of suits filed against them or the government, some preventive and proactive measures--e.g., becoming more proficient in the duties and responsibilities of office, cultural and social education, sensitivity training--must be taken to avoid the possibility of successful liability lawsuits.

Public officials are held morally responsible for their decisions, and they are to be respected for the demands placed on them by virtue of that office. However, individuals, including those injured by a particular governmental policy or an official's decision, are not accepting grievous actions which go against their individual interests. Many are not content with exhausting administrative remedies; rather, they are turning to the courts for a remedy in cases of wrongful death, misuse of legal procedure, etc. A conscious, individual effort to reduce the occurrence liability suits through responsible public decisions will help hold the number of successful suits to a minimum.


George Urquhart holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, a Master of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, a Master of Divinity from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, and a Doctorate of Ministry degree from the School of Theology at Virginia Union University. He is the pastor of the Plank Road Baptist Church, Waverly. George Urquhart was employed with the Commonwealth of Virginia for over 34 years in various positions of senior and executive level management. He is also the author of Crisis and Emergency Management and Preparedness for the African-American Church: Biblical Application from a Theological Perspective (2011). Pastor Urquhart and his wife Jeanetter Maxcean Luster reside in a farm community near Waverly, Virginia.