July 1997
Volume 9
Number VII

John Anzivino: Managing Fast Growth at an Old Town

by Su Clauson-Wicker

John Anzivino: Warrenton, Virginia Town Manager

Not every manager of a 6,000-population town can boast of hosting the U.S. president. But, as John Anzivino will tell you, he was drawn to Warrenton, Virginia, seven and a half years ago because it is no ordinary town.

Warrenton is a 207-year-old horse country town with a few celebrity residents, charming brick sidewalks, and a concern for keeping up its looks. It’s also the location of a major federal training center and within trotting distance of the dynamic Northern Virginia market.

In 1993, President Clinton decided to stop and greet the town on his inaugural journey from Charlottesville to the White House.

"He and Al Gore and their wives pulled up in front of the courthouse and jumped right into the crowd," says Anzivino. "Everyone in my family got a chance to talk with them."

Anzivino, who has been county administrator at Amelia and Caroline counties, says Warrenton’s strong financial base, its high-quality planning, and its concern for aesthetics set it apart from other communities. "It’s a community that takes pride in itself," he says. "It knows where it’s been and has a sense of history that affects where it is going."

Though the town has grown 20 percent since 1990, Warrenton’s infrastructure has managed to stay one jump ahead of development. Anderson & Associates first became involved with Warrenton in a comprehensive stormwater analysis in 1990 which has been totally implemented.

Anzivino has a great relationship with the council and with the 24-year veteran mayor Willard Lineweaver, who was recently president of the Virginia Municipal League. They have worked together to achieve state tourism certification for the town in hopes of luring travelers off the new US Rt. 17/29 bypass just outside of town. The town has also collaborated with Fauquier County on a new recreational park.

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