Longtime Republican activist Wayne "Bubba" Ozmore Jr. has resigned his seat on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to begin work with a Richmond-based political-consultancy group.
Gov. Bob McDonnell appointed Ozmore, a former 4th District Republican chairman, one of the three commissioners of the state ABC board in March 2010. His last day is June 13.
Reached by phone Monday, Ozmore said he "thoroughly enjoyed" his service on the board but that he is leaving to become a senior consultant for Bull Moose Strategies LLC.
"I had a blast — we accomplished a lot of wonderful things there," Ozmore said, citing a program that ties incentives to internal audits and has improved error rates.
"I go in, and I get stuff done. I don't sit around and collect mold."
His first case on the board involved the Velvet strip club. The ABC Board upheld the revocation of the club's beer and wine license on May 5, 2010, and the club's owner, Samuel J.T. Moore III, decided the next day not to appeal the decision to the Richmond Circuit Court.
ABC board seats are high-paying political appointments made by the governor. The commissioners, who make about $120,000 annually, are full-time state employees and serve as administrative-law judges for appeal hearings.
Asked on WTOP radio Tuesday morning about Ozmore's resignation, McDonnell said "I can just say that Mr. Ozmore felt for a variety of reasons that he did not want to continue in that position, and we will appoint somebody else soon."
McDonnell said the departure was not a result of the administration's failed bid to privatize the state's liquor stores. "All the commissioners were supportive of my efforts to privatize ABC, so it doesn't have anything to do with that," he said.
Ozmore, who has worked for more than 16 years in law enforcement in Virginia, including as a senior criminal investigator in the Virginia Attorney General's Office, said his departure did not stem from any conflict.
In a resignation letter dated May 23, Ozmore said "For the past 22 years, I have been fortunate enough to work within the military/public safety arena at the federal, state, and local levels of government; it is all I have ever known.
"Through it all, I have experienced no higher honor than serving the people of the commonwealth in your administration. Please accept my deepest gratitude for the opportunity."
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