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Bryan Foster has been appointed acting city manager of Fairfax City, filling a leadership vacancy created by the unprecedented firing of the city’s former top administrator.

The City Council unanimously approved Foster’s appointment following a closed special meeting on Jan. 21. He was hired through a contract with public-sector executive recruitment firm Baker Tilly Advisory Group LP and began work Monday, Jan. 27.

Foster brings 28 years of local government experience to the position. He most recently served as Manassas deputy city manager before retiring in early 2024. His previous roles include public utilities director for Portsmouth, county administrator for Halifax County and town manager of Altavista.

Mayor Catherine Read said Foster’s answers during questioning aligned with the city’s values. She said the council voted 6-0 to hire him and that the appointment had noticeably lifted the mood at City Hall.

Foster will immediately guide Fairfax through its ongoing fiscal 2026 budget process. He is scheduled to present the proposed budget to the council on Feb. 25. Work sessions and public hearings will begin March 4, with final adoption planned for May 6.

The appointment follows months of turnover in the city manager’s office. Former City Manager Rob Stalzer retired in March 2024 after five years in the position and a 43-year public-service career. Laszlo Palko succeeded him the following month but served for nearly eight months before the previous council fired him Dec. 10.

Palko was terminated without cause under the convenience clause in his contract. Read later said the city manager serves at the council’s pleasure, but officials have not publicly disclosed the reasons for his dismissal. Palko was the first city manager in Fairfax history to be terminated.

Deputy City Manager Valmarie Turner then served as interim city manager for about a month. Before Palko’s dismissal, however, Turner had already accepted the city manager position in Roanoke, where she began working in mid-January.

That departure left Fairfax needing another temporary leader quickly. Foster now holds the role while the city considers its next steps. As of Jan. 23, Read said the search for a permanent city manager had not begun.