Photo by Matt de Simone
The Town of Buchanan held a special called meeting of Town Council Monday to introduce new Town Manager Timothy J. Mack. Mayor Sue Way read a resolution officially appointing Mack to his new position. Mack takes over for Jon Ellestad, who served in the position on an interim basis following the resignation of Angela Lawrence last May.
“I’m very excited, thank you all,” Mack said following the signing of his paperwork.
Citizens in attendance welcomed Mack to the community following the announcement. Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Mack moved to Roanoke as a child and is a graduate of William Byrd High School. He and his wife plan to relocate from North Carolina to Botetourt County later this month, ahead of his first official day on October 14.
“I’m coming from Siler City, North Carolina,” Mack said in an interview Monday evening. “I was the Planning Director and Community Development Director there for the better part of the last two years.”
Mack brings a strong planning background to Buchanan. In addition to his role in Siler City, he has worked for a consulting agency and served as a senior planner in both Franklin County, Va., and Rockingham, N.C.
He will also serve Buchanan in several additional capacities, including zoning administrator, subdivision agent, and floodplain administrator.
When asked about taking on the role of town manager, Mack shared that one of the main reasons for accepting the position was his connection to the Roanoke Valley and, in particular, Buchanan—a town he spent time in regularly as a child.
“I used to hike and camp these mountains,” Mack said. “I used to canoe and fish in the James River. To be able to come back here in this capacity, especially in a place that was such a fixture in my life, it means the world to me. My wife and I ultimately wanted to be back in this region. I’ve gone to school, trained, and worked to be a town manager. I’ve always wanted to be a town manager of a small town.”
Mack added that he is looking forward to returning to a small-town environment after his time in Siler City, which has a population of around 8,000.
“I think coming to a place where I can be a town manager and actually have a better relationship with people, get to the grassroots level, roll up your sleeves, and be that type of town manager,” Mack continued. “That’s what I want. It fits my profile. It’s a good step for me.”
With assistance from The Berkley Group, the town sought a new town manager to lead key initiatives heading into 2026. These include implementation of the RERC study to boost tourism, improvements to wastewater infrastructure, and advancing the Main Street program. Other priorities include governance and charter reforms, updates to the Comprehensive Plan and Town Code, modernization of records and technology, and addressing staffing needs through enhanced hiring and compensation strategies.
“Buchanan has more opportunity than people realize,” Mack noted. “It’s got a strong, burgeoning recreation economy. You have the river right there. Anyone can come through on a Saturday or Sunday and just see loads of people at the river. I think there are ways to tap into that. There are ways to develop that—grants to go after, ways to market the town, ways to brand the town. And I think having that in addition to Main Street… it has all the makings of what you would want in a recreation-mountain town. It’s not ever going to be a town that brings in huge residential development or big industry. You have these other ways to really boost the economy in Buchanan: the recreation and downtown—that’s going to be my focus and what I’m really excited about.”
