Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, December 24, 1994                   TAG: 9412270083
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JAN VERTEFEUILLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RESIDENTS ARE HIS `CLIENTS'

Gardner Smith, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who previously headed the county's General Services Department, now shepherds residents and business people through the regulations as they seek rezonings, building permits or variances.

"The idea here is I'll ultimately be an advocate for residents," he said. "They'll kind of be my clients."

As "total quality management" moves from the business world into government, customer service - a cornerstone of that management philosophy - takes on a new emphasis. Ombudsmen usually work for government, newspapers or large corporations, where they handle and investigate complaints from the public and represent the public's interest to their employers.

"I felt it was necessary to have someone who looks out for the interests of the citizens," said County Administrator Elmer Hodge, who created the position this fall.

Smith works for the county, but his job will be to help citizens through the regulatory process. Handouts will be given to people who come through planning and zoning, and residents also will be referred to Smith by Hodge and the staff.

"I'm not the enforcer," Smith said. "My job is to be more of a ... listener. I may not always be able to fix the problem."

If there are problems or he thinks a procedure needs to be changed, Smith can bring his suggestions to county officials or call the staff together to discuss improvements.

"I won't be trying to change the rules," he said. "There perhaps will be cases where the ordinance has to be changed, [but] so many times, it's a case of explaining what has to be done."

Right now, Smith's role is only in the planning and zoning realm. His official title is "development facilitator/ombudsman." The position will be reviewed in six months by an internal team.

"We would probably like to expand that role," Hodge said, "and I think Gardner's personality and his experience fits that very nicely."

One of Smith's jobs will be winning the confidence of the county employees with whom he works. "I have to convince the staff I'm not an 'I gotcha' guy."

He will sit in on meetings between residents and county staff and will sometimes make site visits during inspections.

"Every day, I'm learning some more of our procedures," he said.