This month’s Council message is by Council member Chris Dobrozsi

I hope everyone has enjoyed a safe and relaxing summer with their friends and family thus far. My family has certainly enjoyed the summer with the numerous wonderful local activities including the Independence Day parade/festival, trips to the pool, Montgomery Farmers Market and my personal favorite — Bastille Day.

I was quite surprised and proud of the large number of families that attended the Independence Day parade/festival despite the excessive heat throughout the day. What a wonderful community building event for our great City! A special thanks goes out to the City Staff and the many volunteers who worked on this special holiday to ensure the events were a success.

The City Council and City Staff are also having a busy summer continuing to drive economic development to ensure the long term vitality of the City. While we have a stable base of employers with Bethesda North Hospital, Ohio National Financial Services, Montgomery Inn and the Sycamore School District, we have struggled (along with the national economy) with high retail vacancies, especially along the Montgomery Road corridor.

Retailers are key amenities that not only support the citizens of Montgomery, but equally as important, support the employees that work in the City. Montgomery has been “Heating” up the past several months, and I am not just talking about the extreme temperatures we experienced in June and July – the Montgomery economy has also been “Red Hot.” Several new retailers have opened their doors including Clark’s Pharmacy, Jet’s Pizza, First Financial Bank, Peaches Skin Care, OZO Play Café, Salon Lofts and Walker Brothers Ice Cream. In addition, several developments that have been on hold are coming back to life. Gateway Center II (former Perkin’s Site) is well underway, the Vintage Club continues to grow and the City has been collaborating with the community and consultants to create the future vision for the Ford and Chevy sites.

Recognizing that economic development is crucial to the future of our City, Economic Development is Goal Area 1 in the “City of Montgomery 2011- 2016 Strategic Plan: Montgomery Tomorrow” adopted by City Council in 2011. This five year vision was created with a tremendous amount of work by the City Staff and City Council with extensive input from Montgomery residents and businesses. A number of economic development implementation steps have been undertaken, and have included an active “business calling” program in the city, the marketing of available sites through business associations and the Montgomery website, a business listing on the Montgomery website and facilitation of economic roundtables where commercial enterprises in the city and surrounding areas were asked to contribute ideas for nurturing Montgomery’s economic development.

While we continue to live through the most unstable economic times of our lives, every day brings new opportunities that the City as a whole, and each of us individually, must capitalize on to ensure the long term viability of the City and our families. There is no other place that my family and I would choose to live than the great City of Montgomery, where a true sense of community exists and neighbors care about each other’s well being.

Council and I wish everyone a safe and relaxing end to summer.

This month’s article is by Councilmember Craig Margolis

With a commitment to reach out to the citizens of Montgomery, I became a member of City Council about two years ago. I often receive inquiries from residents that start with “why don’t ‘they’ put ‘blankety-blank’ at the ‘blankety-blank’ site? When I ask who “they” refers to, the answer is usually the City of Montgomery.

While I am eager to answer these questions, I also see these as “teachable moments.” It begins with defining the difference between public property monies and responsibilities and private property monies and interests. With private property and funds, virtually anything can be done within the guidelines of our city government regulations.

The private sector looks for profitable business opportunities that can fulfill the needs of people living in and around Montgomery. The City’s role is to have zoning codes, property maintenance codes, and design guidelines in place that will allow these businesses to operate in a mostly residential community.

It’s vital that the look and feel of local businesses conform to our community standards. That’s why it’s so important to have Montgomery residents voice their opinions and concerns at the various open houses, conferences, and citizen work groups that meet on these issues.

As a corollary to the above question, I also hear comments like “you can’t allow “blanketyblank” to locate there. It’s not quite that simple. There is actually a procedure for acquisitions, and it’s more involved than first meets the eye. Each plot of land has an economic cost, translated to the “purchase price.” If a business owner can convince the City that he or she can purchase the land, fix-up the building, and make a profit while conforming to all of the restrictions within the City’s zoning code, then the business can open there. Numerous legal challenges throughout the country have ruled that if a business conforms to all of the regulations and rules that are in place, a community cannot prohibit them from establishing their business there.

So, if you are interested or concerned about how business development transpires, you might think about getting involved with the City of Montgomery. Join a committee or commission and voice your opinion at open meetings. You’ll gain a much better understanding of the mechanisms that guide our community and local government.

And finally, I commonly get asked “why don’t “you” “blankety-blank?” The “you” typically refers to City Council or the City of Montgomery. City Council is a representative body that has been elected to represent the community at large. They do this by listening to Montgomery residents, researching trends, and formulating policies and legislation to improve the City and make it both business and resident friendly. The Council receives input from residents ranging from phone calls to letters, emails, and comments at Commission meetings. From there the idea/concern moves to a Committee of Council where three members of City Council sit and so the committees are good places for open discussion and debate of the current issue. Once a firm recommendation is made, it is passed on as a recommendation for City Council to formulate legislation. And all City Council meetings are open to the public with the goal of serving the will of the people.

So instead of just asking questions, consider getting involved. Both the City and you will reap the benefits!

This month’s Council message brought to you by Councilmember Gerri Harbison

During a special session of Montgomery City Council on Monday, May 7, 2012, Council unanimously appointed Wayne S. Davis as our new City Manager. After a thorough search amongst candidates who applied for the position, and after a comprehensive assessment and interview of the final candidates, Council believes that Mr. Davis is the best candidate to be appointed to the official position. Wayne has served as the Acting Manager since September 1, 2011. His appointment took effect immediately. Council also unanimously waived the City Charter requirements for residency. Mr. Davis will not be required to relocate to the City of Montgomery. The requirements of residency tied to public employment have been overruled by state law and confirmed by the Ohio Supreme Court. To resolve any question under the authority granted by the Charter, Council waived the requirement for Mr. Davis.

Wayne’s appointment comes after a comprehensive search which began on November 2, 2011 when City Council appointed the City Manager Search Committee consisting of Ken Suer, Barry Joffe and Gerri Harbison, who reported back and sought input from the full Council on a regular basis. Council determined that the search should be conducted in house’ rather than employing an outside search firm thus saving the City $30-40,000. Barry Joffe has extensive human resources experience and this gave Montgomery the opportunity to take advantage of these skills. The position was posted at the state and national level targeting specific public administration sites such as International City/County Managers Association, Alliance for Innovation, Ohio City/County Managers Association, Ohio Municipal League, American Society for Public Administration and others.

We received over 40 applications and resumes and out of those, performed nine telephone interviews, whittling the list down to the final four candidates. After undergoing personality profile testing and rigorous background checks, those four candidates arrived at City Hall on April 23 for an all day assessment center created and carried out by staff and City Council. The day included mock staff and citizen meetings, creation of a “white paper” to evaluate their creativity and writing skills and an extensive interview with the Council, along with general interaction throughout the day. All four candidates were strong contenders.

Throughout the process, we were occasionally asked the question were we just going through the motions, since we had an internal candidate and an internal search committee, with the ultimate intention being to appoint Wayne to the position. I can guarantee you that the process that was carried out was rigorous and intense and the intent all along was to find the very best City Manager to carry forth the team building and High Performance Organization philosophy which has guided the management of our City over the past several years. After many hours of Council deliberations, including input from all levels of our Staff, the decision was clear that Wayne Davis is the best person to lead the city forward.

For a little background on Wayne, he began his professional career as a civilian with the United States Air Force, working at the Pentagon. Since moving to Ohio 23 years ago, Wayne has worked in local government with the Montgomery County Office of Management and Budget and the Combined Health District of Montgomery County. In 2000, he began his work with the City of Montgomery as Finance Director, and in 2006 was appointed Assistant City Manager. Wayne is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a degree in economics and holds a Masters in Urban Administration from Wright State University.

Wayne stays active with running, golf, volunteering, reading and enjoys attending a variety of sporting events, including NCAA football and basketball and especially enjoys watching the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. Wayne and his girlfriend, Kate, are active members of Incarnation Parish in Centerville and both enjoy traveling and exploring the world. Wayne’s son, Alex, recently graduated from Bowling Green State University.

In closing, we are confident that the final process was in keeping with the extremely high standards in place throughout our organization and Wayne Davis is the City Manager who will build on the solid base already in place, taking our community to the next level. We look forward to working with Wayne in his new position and in all of our citizens and business community getting to know Wayne as he continues to be out and about in the community.

Driving along Montgomery Road is beginning to look a little different these days. It’s spring, so of course the landscaping is starting to blossom, but new storefronts are budding as well. Closson’s vacant building is now gone and the property is being replaced by a branch of First Financial Bank, Camargo Cadillac is undergoing a significant upgrade, Clark’s Pharmacy recently opened and the Vintage Marketplace has also opened in the old Starbucks location.

As one peruses the pages of our Bulletin, one has to be impressed by the variety of recreational programs available here in Montgomery. There are so many programs – witness the impressive list on the Recreation Programs page of any of our Bulletins. In the March edition, one could choose from Cardio Strength for “boomers,” or Pilates that works all the muscles of the body.

This month's message from Council member Lynda Roesch

Most people enjoy getting a free gift. The City of Montgomery is especially grateful for gifts. A variety of gifting opportunities exist in Montgomery. Contributions of cash or property can be made to the following Funds or Programs:

• Arts & Amenities Fund which helps to sponsor Bastille Day, the Sister Cities Program and BAMSO concerts, among other things
• Historic Trust Fund which supports the maintenance of City-owned historical properties
• Living Memorial Fund which supports the City’s parks, sidewalks and open spaces
• Parks Trust Fund
• “Friends of” Program

Contributions to the Living Memorial Fund can be used to purchase:

• Engraved bricks at City Hall or Johnson Nature Preserve
• Commemorative Tree Program
• Commemorative Victorian Bench Program.

Contributions/donations are a nice way to celebrate a special occasion or to remember the life of a loved one. The contribution is lasting and makes a difference in the surrounding community. Your gift will enhance the City and you will think of that loved one or special event every time you see the tree, bench or brick. The Montgomery community is especially grateful for such contributions. For more detailed information on each of these funds and how to contribute, visit the  “gifting opportunities” page on this website.