A familiar face in Manassas for nearly 20 years will be leaving next month.
Manassas Assistant City Manager Elizabeth Via-Gossman, who worked across multiple city government departments, and served as the city’s community development director, is leading the city at the end of July.
Via-Gossman was a staple at a series of public meetings two years ago, that gauged public input on the city’s 2040 comprehensive plan. The city official also served as President of the Manassas City Public Schools Education Foundation from 2017 to 2019.
More information about Via-Gossman’s departure will be released next month, a city spokeswoman told PLN.
In the meantime, another familiar face in the city government will replace her. Matt Arcieri, who has worked at the city government since 2013 in the zoning department, will fill the vacancy. Before coming to Manassas, Arceri worked in New York City, at the local department of transportation.
More in a press release about Arcieri’s promotion.
Matthew Arcieri has been selected as the City of Manassas Planning and Development Director by City Manager W. Patrick Pate. In his role with the Community Development Department, Arcieri will oversee Planning, Development, Zoning, Code Enforcement, Permitting, and Parks, Culture and Recreation.
Arcieri joined the City of Manassas in 2013 as the Planning and Zoning Manager and has extensive experience in local government, primarily in community planning and transportation planning. He authored and managed the complete re-write and adoption of the City of Manassas Zoning Ordinance and the Manassas 2040 Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2020. The plan was named the Commonwealth Plan of the Year in 2020 by the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association. He also implemented rigorous performance measures in Property Code Enforcement and has worked to implement a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation planning program. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Arcieri has made the department more streamlined and customer focused.
Arcieri holds an M.S. in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is a certified planner through the American Planning Association. He graduated from the Metropolitan Council of Governments (MCOG) Institute for Regional Excellence with a certified Public Manager’s designation. The competitive 12-month program partners with George Washington University and focuses on leadership and management training.
“I’m excited to get started in this new role for the City,” said Arcieri. “The City of Manassas has a lot to offer. I hope to see the department grow and help our residents in their efforts to improve their homes, create better living spaces and work through the City processes.”
“I have total confidence in Matt. I know he will do a great job in this new role,” said City Manager W. Patrick Pate. “I know Matt has accomplished a great deal in his current role and is well respected by Council and his peers.”
