Richmond's top city bureaucrat quit yesterday, saying her ability to do her job had been compromised.

Sheila Hill-Christian's resignation after just more than eight months as chief administrative officer shocked people throughout City Hall.

She already had left the building late yesterday afternoon as three members of her staff filed out of her second-floor office suite, carrying a plant and cloth grocery bags full of items from her office.

Top city officials and City Council members contacted said they did not know the reason for her resignation, effective tomorrow.

In a cryptic e-mailed statement, Hill-Christian said that "in every position I have accepted, I have given my all" to be a leader, adding, "When my ability to do so is compromised, I believe it is in my personal best interest, and the interest of taxpayers to move on."

Hill-Christian's statement did not say why she felt compromised. She did not return calls made to her office or cell phone, and she was not available for comment at her home.

Mayor L. Douglas Wilder said he did not plan to name a new chief administrative officer for the final five months of his term.

"We well understood that, at the time she was hired in November 2007, I had not determined whether to seek re-election and I greatly appreciate having her as part of our team," he said in a written statement. "She did a fine job in a very challenging situation."

Hill-Christian, with a long record of service in top positions at City Hall and state government, was working as director of the state lottery when she was selected by Wilder and later won the backing of the council. She did not apply for the position.

Wilder and the council viewed Hill-Christian as someone who could help ease the tensions between them. But the mayor and the council kept fighting.

She is the first top Wilder administration official to announce her own resignation, instead of waiting for the mayor's press secretary to do so.

Neither Wilder nor Linwood Norman, his press secretary, responded to questions about why she left.

"All I would be doing is guessing," Council President William J. Pantele said.

"I guess it is smart for her to look around," Councilman E. Martin Jewell said. "Council is treating the administration as if it is some kind of enemy. This whole thing has gotten out of hand."

Councilwoman Kathy C. Graziano said she was upset to learn that Hill-Christian had resigned.

"It's a serious blow; she was a very skilled administrator," Graziano said.

Hill-Christian became Richmond's second chief administrative officer in November, at an annual salary of $170,000.

Her career included heading the state and city juvenile justice agencies, the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and service as chief of staff to former City Manager Calvin D. Jamison.

She also formerly ran the city parks department and was chief operating officer of the GRTC Transit System.

Contact David Ress at (804) 649-6051 or dress@timesdispatch.com.

Contact Will Jones at (804) 649-6911 or wjones@timesdispatch.com.

Top jobs for

Sheila Hill-Christian
Oct. 5, 2007: Named by Mayor L. Douglas Wilder as Richmond's chief administrative officer; she was confirmed and took office the next month.
July 2006: Appointed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine as Virginia Lottery director.
March 2004: Named executive director of Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which she joined in 2003.
July 2001: Chief operating officer of GRTC Transit System.
October 1999: Appointed by Rich mond City Manager Calvin D. Jamison as his chief of staff.
February-March 1998 : Appointed by acting Richmond City Manager Connie Bawcum as director of Juvenile Justice Services and later as director of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities.
April 1997: Appointed by Gov. George Allen as director of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.
February 1995: Appointed by Richmond City Manager Robert C. Bobb as the city's first director of Juvenile Justice Services.
SOURCE: Times-Dispatch library