MiddletownJournal.com

Middletown City Council met on Saturday to interview candidates to be the city’s interim manager while a search is conducted for a permanent replacement for Ron Olson. While council’s attention may be focused on finding the right person to evaluate and to keep city operations up and running for the next several months, council members have undoubtedly been giving thought to the qualities they want in the new permanent city manager.

Olson’s resignation and the resulting search for his replacement comes at a pivotal point in the city’s history. Consider:

The city government is likely to be in downsizing mode for the foreseeable future. Expenditures have been exceeding revenue for several years, and the city is close to exhausting its reserve fund. The city’s halfhearted effort to convince voters to increase the income tax rate on Nov. 2 — to fix the town’s neglected streets — was thoroughly trounced by dubious voters and a more convincing campaign will have to be run if the tax proposal is brought back.

A committee is currently studying whether to change the charter so that the mayor of Middletown is elected directly by voters, not chosen by other council members. That change — to establish clearer leadership — could affect the relationship recent city managers have had with council.

The seats of four council members — the four ward representatives — will be up for grabs in the November 2005 election. It’s conceivable that the new city manager could be hired next year by the current council and then find him-/herself working in January 2006 for a council with four new members, which would represent a majority under the council’s current seven-member composition.

Middletown’s recent economic development efforts have produced lackluster results thus far, in part due to the tough economic times Ohio has been experiencing. An uncertain future for the city’s largest employer, AK Steel Corp., also is a large cloud over the city.

Everyone agrees on one thing — Middletown needs a vision for its future. In his farewell letter to the community, Olson himself said, “It’s time to stop trying to make Middletown what it once was, to put away old paradigms, and create a new vision for what Middletown can and should become.” The next city manager will likely play a significant role in moving that agenda forward.

The city should cherish its history and past glories, but stop waiting for someone or some company to fill the leadership void the city has suffered through after the decline of Armco Steel, the city’s former benefactor and de facto source of leadership.

So what should City Council be looking for in a new city manager?

Each chapter of the city’s history has required different qualities in its leaders. Twelve years ago, the city was also trying to get its budget back on track, and quiet, methodical Ron Olson was the right man for the job. He performed that task well but the city’s needs and expectations changed over his tenure, and at times the lack of dynamic leadership — either from Olson or an often timid council — was obvious to see. Olson and council were often like a couple on a dance floor that couldn’t quite figure out who should lead.

So the laundry list of qualities Middletown needs in its next manager begins with a person who is able to lead assertively — in the absence of leadership and consensus from council — and to set and clearly communicate achievable goals that move the city in the correct direction — the direction well-stated by Olson.

Middletown needs a manager who can help us shape a new vision for the city, built on our history and based on successes other former industrial towns have achieved, and to assume the city’s place at the table in Butler and Warren counties. For too long, Middletown has isolated itself from those county governments and from surrounding communities, and become the proverbial red-headed stepchild in both counties. Our new manager needs to facilitate fence-mending and establish rapport with our neighbors, and demonstrate that Middletown wants to cooperate to improve the region, not to annex or otherwise dictate to its neighbors. If we are to succeed, we must be part of a strong regional effort — one of many jurisdictions working together toward a common goal. Of course, Middletown’s strategic location on Interstate 75 between Dayton and Cincinnati is an advantage that must be leveraged fully by city leaders.

Without that vision and leadership, Middletown risks becoming the ghetto of Butler County, a low-income bedroom community that provides cheap labor for more affluent communities. That’s not the vision we have for Middletown, but it is the path we are on.

We also need a positive, friendly attitude coming out of City Hall, and that tone is set at the top. Mayor Bob Wells gently scolded Olson earlier this month because of the city’s stern letter to residents about leaf collection, and Wells was right to do so. Middletown is not so large that City Hall has to be an unresponsive, cold bureaucracy. That change in culture needs to happen so that City Hall is open and helpful to residents and progressive and hopeful about those interested in coming here.

All of this is a tall order for any person to fill, and perhaps it’s too much to expect from one person. But we believe City Council is wise to take its time and conduct a wide search for a person who can guide the city with — as Olson smartly advised — “a sense of hope for tomorrow and a spirit of understanding and cooperation.”