New City Manager

Council selects Adkins as next city manager

By Rick McCrabb

Staff Writer
MIDDLETOWN —
Doug Adkins, director of community revitalization for the city since 2009, will be named Middletown’s city manager, the Journal-News has learned.

Adkins was one of the five finalists from the 29 who applied to replace Judy Gilleland, who’s retiring next month after six years as city manager.

Adkins was offered the position by members of City Council after they met in executive session following Tuesday’s council meeting. Adkins accepted their offer, according to city emails, but Middletown Mayor Lawrence Mulligan Jr. said the city doesn’t have a signed contract.

Adkins, who has no city manager experience, will be paid $115,000 a year, $12,000 less than Gilleland earns, according to a draft of the employment agreement. Gilleland’s last day as city manager is June 6, however, because of vacation time she accumulated, she will be in the city payroll through July 21, according to emails.

Adkins will serve as interim city manager from June 7 until July 21, then city manager the following day. He will be given a $450-a-month car allowance and will be reimbursed $10,000 to move his family from Mason to Middletown, according to the proposed contract.

During the public portion of the interview Saturday morning, Adkins said he’d live in the city and remain here for years.

“If I’m in, I’m in,” he said. “I’m here to stay.”

Last weekend, all five candidates toured the city, then were interviewed by city staff, community leaders and Middletown residents at the City Building. Council took input from those interviews to help make their decision, they said.

Mulligan Jr. said the city was fortunate to have five “well-qualified” candidates.

Adkins separated himself from the others because of his “successful track record” of working collaboratively with community leaders throughout the region, Mulligan said.

Council member Dan Picard said he was impressed by what he called Adkins’ “forward thinking.” He presented council with a 120-page outline filled with goals, and every goal had a deadline.

“He’s looking down the road, giving us something to shoot for,” Picard said Thursday morning.

After the interviews Saturday, Picard said council received feedback from those who participated in the process, and council agreed on two finalists: Adkins and Jane Howington, city manager in Newport, R.I., who also worked as city manager in Oxford and assistant city manager in Dayton. Then on Tuesday night, after about 30 minutes in executive session, Picard said Adkins became council’s No. 1 choice.

Council member Anita Scott Jones said after reviewing the responses from the three groups that participated in the interviews, Adkins’ name appeared at the top of all their recommendations.

“He was constant,” she said.

Jones said over the weekend, she heard from many Middletown residents who offered opinions. Some said the city should hire an internal candidate, others said an outside candidate, and others wanted someone with at least 10 years of city manager experience. In the end, she said, since Adkins has worked for the city for nine years, he became the obvious choice.

Dora Bronston, another council member, praised Adkins for his “vision” that will “move the city forward.”

At the end of Tuesday’s executive session, Bronston told the other council members she wanted them to be “united” in selecting Adkins.

Don Vermillion, director of public projects at the Fitz Center at the University of Dayton, was paid $12,000 by the city to conduct the city manager search. The job was posted with the International City/County Management Association, Ohio City Management and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, he said.

In emails to council members, Vermillion wrote he had contacted the other four candidates to let them know they weren’t selected.

The other finalists: Les Landen, the city’s law director, and three external candidates, Cathy Davison, former city manager in Steubenville, Ohio; Willie Norfleet Jr., city manager in Socorro, Texas and Howington.

In his interview, when asked how he’d react if he wasn’t selected, Landen, the law director for 14 years, said he’d be “a good soldier” and continue serving the city as best he could.

Adkins began his service with Middletown in 2005 as assistant prosecutor. In 2006, he was promoted to prosecutor, then three years later, was named director of community revitalization, overseeing community development, building inspection, code enforcement, planning, zoning, bus transit system, the Robert “Sonny” Hill Jr. Community Center and Weatherwax Golf Course.

Earlier this year, Adkins, who served on council and as vice-mayor in Vandalia, was a finalist for the city manager’s position there.

He earned his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Cincinnati and graduated cum laude with a juris doctor from the University of Dayton.



Name: Doug Adkins

Job: Director of community revitalization

Residence: Mason

Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of Cincinnati, 1985; Juris doctor, University of Dayton, 2003

Family: Wife, Becky and six children

I say "Thank goodness I don't live there anymore"-there is naught but anguish and ruin ahead for thee...

Innovator?

No, he needed a life raft with council on HUD war.

Loose lips sink ships.

Middletown has sunk.

Those bright things you see are the lights in the HUD interrogation room which will be Dougies first stop.

His "move" to Middletown will likely consist of renting one of the plentiful $400 per month hovels this town has to offer. Establish utilities in his name as proof of his residency. Followed by driving back to see his kid's soccer game for Mason High.

Stanky, you are typical of the negativism on this website. We made an offer to a well intentioned/qualified man and all you people can do is complain!!! Give people a chance!!! Doug/council have a plan. Give  them time. Please reserve judgement.  In a few years you can judge the results of their plan. Just 1opinion. 

So Luke, you are an advocate for more section 8? Unbelievable! You forwarded a copy of the section 8 analysis to a liberal college professor of public administration and his response was.........Shocking!!! we need more section 8?  Yes. that's what we need. more people in the cart as opposed to those who are pulling the cart. That is exactly how to revitalizea downtown and attract more people to our town. Keep it up! It has worked well so far.

Luke, you have exposed yourself as a card carrying union member espousing the views of the minority of employed peoples. There is nothing wrong with blue collar workers. Middletown was built by the blue collared people. But, you need to expect a salary commensurate with your skill set. Don't hold up an entire city or a company for an unjustfiable wage. Especially if you/or your members don't live here and pay taxes. Georgetown may be catholic, but conservative???? Isn't that the same institution that covered up religious symbols at the Obama regime's request while he made a speech there?

middiemom wrote: Doug/council have a plan. Give  them time. Please reserve judgement.  In a few years you can judge the results of their plan.

Ms. Middie Mom:

Of course, now that we can't even afford decent police or fire departments, things are CERTAIN to get better!!!

So a known town ruiner was chosen to do further damage to this city by an inept, clueless group of people known as city council. Not surprising. He falls right in line with the group of Donham Plaza town wreckers. The clueless have chosen an inept person to run this place. Makes sense. Should we have expected any other outcome.....say, a decision with any logic connected to it? The final piece of the coffin is now in place for this city.

And now to middiemom (or city building employee sent here to harass and stir the pot)

You show up, out of the blue, attacking all here that are opposed to your little version of town utopia and it's newly appointed grim reaper. Comments suggesting they be given a chance, that Adkins is a good choice........Mercy are you blind to reality. The man turns people off with his uppidy personality. Hardly one to communicate with the people. His deceit proceeds him.

There is a truckload of proof that the man is a liar, the man manipulates situations to acquire his desired outcome while constantly placing the town in dire straits in a legal sense. The man is secretive and has no scruples. Hell, the man chooses to live in upscale Mason while he comes to work each day in Middletown to do his daily damage to the city he claims he cares about. He is not a person to be respected. He is a callous, overbearing, unprofessional slug who lacks any moral character nor leadership qualities. He has no overall administrative skills to run a city, hardly the most qualified to fill this position. Worse, yet, he is a part of the group consisting of the MMF, the city council and certain residents of the city building, who have, as their agenda, a completely mis-focused direction, not having a clue what this city really needs to turn it around.

Your comments indicate to me that you don't have a clue as to how nice this city once was. If you did, you wouldn't be so apt to defend these worthless people we call city administrators. All need to be fired for what they have done here. We, who have lived through the good times, see first hand how the city and the schools have gone down the toilet since these "new breed, incompetent "leaders" came to town. There is not one of them that can find their behind, even with the aid of a blueprint.

You are on the wrong side of being right. You just don't know it. Open your eyes.....see what is really there.

I'm surprised that anyone who follows Middletown politics and government would not have seen the hiring of Mr. Adkins coming. It certainly makes sense from a continuity point of view to have someone familiar with "the plan" to take the reins. Whether "the plan" will be any more successful under Mr. Adkins remains to be seen (and is dependent on your definition of success). Voter apathy and holding critical issues affecting funding of the schools and the removal of Ward representation during low turnout elections is demonstration that "the plan" is working the way it was designed. Since there is no organized resistance to "the plan" and those who formed and implemented it, it is no surprise that Mr. Adkins was chosen as City Manager.

As for the above assertion that those who can afford $16.95 a plate brunch pay the taxes; well, DUH!!! You can't get taxes out of those who don't have money! That is always the cry of those who want to exclude the poor from voting. That's why the most critical issues that face Middletown are always put on the ballot during the least participated voting periods. How can you justify changing the charter of the city on an 11% turnout? How do you justify tax increases on low turnout votes? It's easy; "they had their chance to vote and didn't show up"! Perhaps the solution is to pass laws that state any change to governmental charters and tax levies can only be on a November ballot during congressional election years (every 2 years). That would, at least, keep cities and school districts from repeatedly using off-year elections to achieve their ends when they can't actually find majority support otherwise.