City Council chooses among Mark Wolfe, Ralph Smith and Tom Osina for interim mayor Monday, and votes on 15 grant-funded firefighters and seven school buses.

Updated Oct. 29: The council chose Ralph J. Smith as interim mayor Monday. The SAFER grant for 15 firefighters, the school buses, the opioid grant and the battery storage agreement passed unanimously. The Center Street rezoning failed to win a majority and is expected to return, and the airline terminal hearing was continued to Nov. 9. Read the results.

The Manassas City Council is scheduled to appoint an interim mayor Monday. Three council members are in the running: Vice Mayor Mark Wolfe, Ralph Smith and Tom Osina.

The appointment is the last item on the agenda for the Oct. 26 meeting. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 9027 Center St.

The same agenda carries a federal grant for 15 more firefighters, $1.32 million for school buses and the first vote on the downtown Center Street garage and apartments.

Why the city needs an interim mayor

Mayor Michelle Davis resigned effective Sept. 30, the city said in its announcement of the resignation. She had first said in February that she planned to step down at the end of the year.

At a special meeting Oct. 5, the city attorney told the council it must follow the City Charter and Virginia Code section 24.2-228 to fill the seat. Three members submitted resumes, according to the city’s summary of that meeting. The council then had to wait at least seven days before voting.

The interim mayor will serve until a special election on Nov. 2, 2027, the city said.

What each candidate told the council Oct. 5, as the city summarized it:

  • Vice Mayor Mark Wolfe said he has served on the council for 18 years. He described the mayor’s job as presiding at meetings, representing the city in the region and the state, and “smoothing the road to get things done.”
  • Ralph Smith said he would work with the executive team on daily operations and on finishing major projects. He said he would help new council members through the transition.
  • Tom Osina said he would focus on continuity of services and projects and on making city government more accessible.

Smith was recently announced as grand marshal of the 80th Greater Manassas Christmas Parade on Dec. 5, the city said in its fall events release.

15 more firefighters, paid for by a federal grant

The council will vote on accepting a federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. The resolution would add 15 full-time firefighter positions to this year’s staffing plan.

The agenda lists $2,759,893.44 in federal grant money and $1,715,609.46 from the Fire and Rescue fund balance. City staff told the council Oct. 19 that the grant pays for the 15 positions over three years, according to the city’s work session recap.

Fire and Rescue Chief Edward Mills set out the reason in an Oct. 8 memo to the council. The national standard for career departments, NFPA 1710, calls for four firefighters on each engine and ladder truck. The city now runs three.

According to the memo’s staffing table:

  • the city now staffs 15 people per shift across two engines, a tower truck, two medic units and two command units
  • meeting the standard takes 20 per shift
  • five more per shift on each of three shifts is 15 positions, the number the grant pays for
Bar chart: Manassas has 15 firefighters on duty per shift now and would have 20 with the SAFER grant, the level the NFPA 1710 standard calls for.
Chart by Manassas Daily. Source: City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department staffing memo, Oct. 8, 2026.
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The rest of Monday’s agenda

  • School buses. Manassas City Public Schools asks the council to release $1,320,000 of school fund balance. The district’s finance director told the council Oct. 19 the money would buy seven buses and add air conditioning to three more. The item is on the consent agenda, which is approved in one vote unless a member pulls it.
  • Center Street garage and apartments. The council takes the first of two votes on rezoning 9007 Center St. to B-3.5. The rezoning would allow a parking garage and a 162-unit apartment building, the city said in its Sept. 28 meeting summary. The council heard public comment on it that night.
  • Airline terminal. A public hearing on the terminal building and ground lease for passenger airline service at Washington Manassas Airport. The city received one bid, from Avports, and Avports CEO Marc Ricks is listed to present at the start of the meeting.
  • Battery storage. A revised agreement with the Virginia Municipal Electric Association to buy output from battery storage sites in Harrisonburg and Culpeper. Staff said Oct. 19 the batteries would help cut peak electricity demand.
  • Opioid grant. $33,340.88 from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority to keep paying for the city’s harm reduction specialist.
  • 2027 legislative agenda. The city’s requests to the General Assembly, on the consent agenda.

The council also plans a closed meeting before the mayoral appointment.

What it means for you

  • You can speak. The public comment period comes near the start of the meeting. Each speaker gets up to three minutes, and no sign-up is needed in advance.
  • You can watch. Meetings stream and are archived on the city’s Granicus video page.
  • Fire coverage. If the grant is accepted, the department would move toward four firefighters on each engine and truck.
  • Accessory dwelling units are next. The council holds a public hearing Nov. 9 on allowing accessory dwelling units under recent state legislation, with the rules taking effect July 1, 2027.

For who represents you and how to reach them, see who to call at City Hall. For downtown zoning and permits, see building permits and zoning.