Add Roanoke's planning department director, one of city hall's more public-facing positions, to a string of recent management departures.

Jillian Papa resigned her position in recent days and Deputy City Manager Angie O’Brien “will provide leadership and oversight for the division,” city spokeswoman Jenel Few wrote in a Feb. 27 email.

Papa did not respond to numerous messages left for her by The Roanoke Rambler.

She was appointed to the job last April after close to 14 years in the department, starting as a historic preservation planner and moving up the ranks. The reason for her departure has not been disclosed.

Planning Commission member James Settle said Tuesday afternoon that he had received no communication from the city about Papa’s departure. The commission is scheduled to meet for a work session on Friday.

Papa’s departure comes just days after Wayne Leftwich, another higher-ranking administrator in the department, left to become director of the planning and community development department in Colonial Heights. Leftwich had been with the city’s planning department for a decade.

Roanoke’s planning department reflects the city’s struggle with turnover and job vacancies. One-third of the department's 56 positions are currently unfilled, according to information released to The Rambler through an open records request. Those jobs include several managers and planners and numerous inspectors, among others.

Because of the situation, the time it’s taken to get a building permit has gone from several days to weeks. Also, the department did not have the time to handle three different city council-originated projects separately, the council was told by O’Brien late last year. The projects — a new review of the Evans Spring property across from Valley View Mall, a more stringent process for vape store openings, and proposed zoning code changes — all involve the department’s expertise. They were merged into one process with a goal of finishing it next month.

In an interview following a council meeting Monday, O’Brien said Papa’s departure will not impact that schedule.

She said she has faith in the department’s employees and work will continue.

Leftwich, reached Tuesday, had no comment when asked if his decision to go to Colonial Heights was impacted by the current situation in Roanoke.

“It was a good opportunity,” he said of his new job.

In the past several months, other managers who have left Roanoke City Hall include former City Attorney Tim Spencer, former Finance Director Margaret Lindsey and Sam Roman, who served as one of two deputy city managers along with O’Brien. 

Employee instability in the finance department played a role in Lindsey’s decision to resign after 15 months in the job, she said.

City Manager Valmarie Turner, in her second year as city manager, has said it is a priority to reshape the municipal leadership knowing there are challenges with turnover. But as part of budget struggles, the issue may not be solved soon. The city administration just announced Monday that it plans to freeze 100 to 115 jobs across the municipal government over the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Laura Carini, the city’s first female city attorney, succeeded Spencer from within that department. Her first city council meeting on the job was Monday. Lindsey’s former finance director’s job was posted last week. No information about the status of Papa’s or Roman’s former position was immediately available.