NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY)  – Norfolk officials are congratulating Emily Uselton, Pete Buryk, and Megan Erwin in the Office of Budget and Strategic Planning.

The three have been named to the Traeger List by the group Engaging Local Government Leaders, which works to amplify the good in local government. 

The award is named for Chris Traeger, the city manager for the fictional City of Pawnee, Indiana on the show “Parks and Recreation,” and recognizes the top 100 influencers in local government. 

  • Pete Buryk (Photo Courtesy – City of Norfolk)
  • Emily Uselton (Photo Courtesy – City of Norfolk)
  • Megan Erwin (Photo Courtesy – City of Norfolk)

Budget and Policy Manager Emily Uselton premiered on the list at #10 nationwide! Uselton leads the budget team and is responsible for the planning, development and implementation of the city’s annual $1.4 billion budget, a process that takes eight months. This year, Uselton and her team was forced to scrap the entire document just weeks before its planned presentation to City Council due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the city’s budget. Uselton and her staff completely rebuilt the budget within two weeks to account for projected revenue losses.

Pete Buryk is the Director of CivicLab within the Budget Office. He joins the list at #17. Under his leadership, his team has developed the city’s first data governance policies, revamped its open data portal, and introduced an enterprise business intelligence platform.

Finally, HUD Compliance Manager Megan Erwin makes her second consecutive appearance on the Traeger list at #28. She made the list for her role in transforming the city’s HUD office and her work as the city’s Coronavirus Stimulus Coordinator.