Chesterfield County Administrator Joe Casey is stepping down effective July 1, 2026, after a decade as manager of Virginia’s fourth-largest locality.
“I’ve been thinking about this for such a long time that everything seems anticlimactic to me right now, but, but it’s a good feeling,” Casey told reporters on Wednesday, following the State of the County event.
Casey started his career in public service in Hanover County, where he became a deputy county administrator in 1990. “If I did one thing wise in my life, I attached myself to the coattails of [former Hanover County Administrator] Rhu Harris,” he said Wednesday.
He later held the same position in Henrico County before becoming Chesterfield’s county manager in 2016, where he oversees 4,000 full-time employees and a $2.4 billion budget.
In a press release following his retirement announcement Tuesday evening, the county touted economic development as one of Casey’s most important legacies. Under his tenure, the county signed deals to bring in a Lego manufacturing plant and a forthcoming Google data center, as well as the world’s first commercially viable nuclear fusion power plant.
The release estimated that these and other projects brought under Casey’s leadership represent $12 billion in capital investment and the creation of 10,200 new jobs in Chesterfield.
As Casey retires, the county’s road network is about to pass a welcome milestone for motorists: As the bonds on the stretch of Powhite Parkway that runs through Chesterfield are paid off, tolls on the road are being phased out. Officials are currently mulling what the Powhite Parkway Extension will look like.
“I think Joe has done an outstanding job in his tenure,” said Matoaca Supervisor Kevin Carroll. “One of Joe’s strengths was he was able to see a much bigger picture collectively and keep the board in tune with all of that.”
The board will consider who will fill Casey’s shoes in the coming months, Carroll said: “Our biggest challenge is going to be finding someone to replace him.”
