ACTIVATING THE RECOVERY Collinsworth says he is proud of the outcomes so far when it comes to balancing pandemic management with the delivery of public services.
Collinsworth says the jury is still out on what 2021 looks like, but 2020 is expected to end with cash reserves on hand through strong fiscal management.
“It’s a combination of how we responded and reacted. We had to freeze hiring, but lost no jobs. We shuttered some facilities, yes, by edict of the state health department, but we maintained our core City services,” he said. “We kept employees safe, modified workspaces and work schedules and worked hard to ensure the safety of employees and the public.”
“I want the residents to know that on our rainiest day in quite awhile, we had money in the bank to continue to meet their expectations,” he said. “And there can be good surprises along the way to stretch our dollar further, like making strides on the Uptown Improvement Project when people stayed home or starting projects in a more competitive bidding environment. Either way, we get through this together.”
Programs like the utility bill holiday, $250,000 in grants for small businesses (WeCan program) and more than $140,000 in community partner funding demonstrated a commitment to funnel resources and dollars directly into the community. “We’ve done without a lot of recreational activities, but as a community we’ve fared well,” said Collinsworth. “The outlook is not overly rosy, but the financial impact has not been as grave as we once feared.”
Aroundt h e
NEWS COMING SOON
City A New City Manager
*At press time, the new City Manager has not been named. That individual will have been announced by the time this issue reaches residents. Please visit www.westerville.org for an initial introduction, and expect a full profile to be published in the next issue (January/February 2021).
When Dave Collinsworth and Julie Colley announced their intentions to retire in April, the process to recruit a new City Manager fell into the hands of Westerville City Council. Council Chairman Mike Heyeck found himself in familiar territory, having been part of the recruitment process that identified Collinsworth in 2007. “Recruiting the top executive who will lead our great City is Council’s greatest responsibility. This is a member’s most important vote so the process was exhaustive and robust,” said Heyeck. “Dave Collinsworth and Julie Colley leave a great legacy and an outstanding management and employee team for our Westerville, so Council was not surprised by such strong interest and competition for the City Manager position. Our job was to find the most exceptional talent, and I think Council did a remarkable job. Our new City Manager now has the first opportunity to recruit an Assistant City Manager to fill out the top executive team. ” Council initiated a competitive selection process for executive recruitment firms, ultimately choosing The Novak Group and executive recruiter Catherine Tuck Parrish, who has 30 years of management experience
and leads the firm’s executive search practice. Parrish has helped Westerville identify and hire other management personnel in the City over the past 12 years. “Westerville has that ‘something special’ that attracts top-notch talent,” said Parrish. “Westerville has a national reputation in local government circles, which contributes to a strong field of candidates for any management position.” In October, a field of six finalists was announced and visited Westerville to learn more about operations, programs and services, personnel and community. Of that list, one internal candidate, three candidates in the state of Ohio and two candidates in Georgia and Virginia met with Councilmembers, community stakeholders and the department management team. That field was narrowed to finalists, and ultimately to the individual hired for the role.* The new City Manager is expected to start around the first of the year and overlap about one week with Collinsworth. Current Assistant City Manager, Julie Colley, will work with that individual for about a month prior to her retirement departure later in January 2021.
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