Kevin Catlin to make history as Chesterfield swears in new county administrator

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Chesterfield County will swear in Kevin Catlin as its first Black county administrator Monday.

Catlin previously served as county administrator in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, before moving to Chesterfield County. For the past couple of months, he has been working with the Board of Supervisors to learn about issues in the county.

"I just appreciate the trust that the Board of Supervisors has placed in me and the residents and the employees. I don't want to let them down," Catlin told CBS 6 in June.

Catlin acknowledged the significance of the milestone.

"I do carry a lot of weight on my shoulders to ensure that folks that look like me know that they have an opportunity like this in the future to serve," Catlin said.

As concerns about data center growth in the county grow louder, resident Margaret Murphy weighed in.

"We need to get a really good understanding of why the decisions were made to put so many data centers in Virginia," Murphy said.

Catlin addressed the issue, emphasizing the importance of community input and informed decision-making.

"Whether it's health implications, whether it's zoning implications, and whether it's just the community itself in terms of residents wanting a development like that," Catlin said. "So I think it's incumbent upon us as local government officials to understand and have a pulse on the community on what do they want and what misinformation may be out there, so that we can better educate everyone and the Board of Supervisors can make an informed decision to adopt, you know, zoning ordinances, site plan approvals, those sort of things as as time goes on."

Catlin said his biggest challenge in Chesterfield is making sure the money the county receives is spent wisely.

"You can only spend it once. And so, how are we keeping up with the needs of our county services like police, fire, EMS?" Catlin said. "How are we ensuring that our school systems are performing at the highest standards with that level of revenue that we already collect? And so, as our state and federal support as it dwindles, which it occasionally can, how do we continue to stay abreast of that and make sure that our services aren't impacted and impacting our community members?"

Catlin will take the oath of office at the historic 1917 Courthouse Monday at 10:30 a.m.