Cook comes back to serve Luray in a different way
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, July 21 — The Town of Luray announced on Tuesday that its former police chief for the past decade will now serve as “part-time” assistant town manager following his retirement from three decades in law enforcement on July 1.
“Mr. Carl S. ‘Bow’ Cook has accepted the position following his recent retirement as Chief of Police. After many years of dedicated service to the Town, Mr. Cook is transitioning into an administrative role, where he will continue serving the community in a new capacity,” reads a statement from the Town issued Tuesday morning.
Cook will be replacing Michael Coffelt, who left the position in February. Coffelt was hired in March as the Deputy Director of Public Works for Warren County. Prior to Coffelt, the assistant town manager position was held by current Town Manager Bryan Chrisman for 16 years. Chrisman rose to town manager in February 2024 after the departure of Steve Burke for a position in Manassas.
The biggest change in the assistant town manager position is a move from full-time to part-time. The Town received 14 applicants and interviewed half of those, according to Chrisman, who noted that more than half of those interviewed “wanted to fill the role as part-time.”
“The best candidate wanted to work part-time,” Chrisman told PVN. “Since Bow retired from VRS [Virginia Retirement System], he cannot work in a full-time position for a VRS-locality like Luray. He can only work part-time. Several other candidates were similar in this.
“Offering it either part-time or full-time gets a different applicant pool since it is usually people who have done this job or a similar job as before,” Chrisman added. “You get access to people with essential experience.”
The part-time position will include about 29 hours of work per week, with a maximum of 1,500 hours per year. Cook will be paid a maximum of $75,000 per year, with no benefits. When he left the police chief position a few weeks ago, Cook was making about $104,000 annually in salary with another $30,000 in benefits.
The interview panel included Chrisman, Mayor Stephanie Lillard, and former mayor and councilman Jerry Dofflemyer. The panel reported back to the full Council and made a recommendation that was supported. Chrisman said Cook interviewed particularly well and simply has a vast amount of institutional knowledge.
“Bringing someone on-board who is very familiar with our staff, our programs, our community and our citizens is a huge benefit. Bow is an excellent communicator with wide-ranging contacts. He is well-liked and well-respected. There is a comfort-level issue in allowing former employees with excellent institutional memory to serve in similar roles,” Chrisman said of Cook’s hire. “Not to mention the advantages from an operational standpoint. The learning and training curve is much shorter with a previous employee, but the real value is what and who they know. They are far more efficient in the job than someone new from outside the area. The other Town staff are used to him in a managerial role, so the continuity of mutual respect remains.”
Lieutenant Lonnie Foster is currently serving as the Luray Police Department’s interim chief of police. The Council gave him the nod earlier this month. The Town is advertising for the position with a starting salary range of $80,000 to $85,000, with full benefits. Applications are being accepted through 5 p.m. on Friday, July 31.
“He is excited about working in administration, and wants to learn new aspects of local government. As a ‘people person’ and an ‘on the street’ individual, I believe he will be very effective in dealing with our citizens, our contractors, and our vendors,” Chrisman said of Cook. “He has good instincts, is very trustworthy, and has a great work ethic. I am excited to have him back as an employee of Luray and for his abilities to help us deliver the community service mission to our citizens.”
For more information on the Town of Luray,
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