Dana McDaniel, the former City Manager from Dublin, Ohio was approved for Lifetime membership in OCMA at the 2024 Annual Conference. Dana worked for Dublin from 2004 until his retirement in 2022, including as City Manager from 2015 thru 2022. Dana also served on the OCMA Board from 2019 to 2022.
At OCMA’s 2024 Annual Conference the new slate of board members was announced for 2024-2025. Board members are voted on by the membership, and starting July 1, 2024 the new OCMA Board will be as follows:
Ken Wilson, who has served as Franklin County Administrator since 2015, will join the OCMA Board in July. Ken previously served as the President of the County Commissioners Association of Ohio. He has served as the Chair of OCMA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee since 2022, and previously served as the Co-Chair of the Membership Services Committee. Ken was also instrumental in helping to plan for ICMA’s 2022 Annual Conference in Columbus.
Chip joins OCMA as the Assistant Village Administrator in Batavia.
The OCMA Annual Awards recognize fellow local government colleagues who are exceptional in promoting excellence in local government. Nominations are made by professionals in local government toward projects and individuals that go above and beyond for their respective communities. At the 2024 OCMA Annual Conference eight award winners were recognized for their career and project achievements to promote excellence in local government.
Sheryl Sculley, the former City Manager of San Antonio, delivered the keynote address at the 2024 Annual Conference. Sculley, who has navigated through the complexities of city management for over three decades, shared her insights and experiences, drawing largely from her book, Greedy Bastards.
Sculley’s tenure as a City Manager in San Antonio was a challenge from almost day one. In her first week she was presented with a list of 300 employees who were being recommended for termination for inappropriate use of a computer despite strong administrative policies or adequate controls on the computers.
Sculley’s data driven stand against unsustainable collective bargaining agreements forms the central theme in her book and was the highlight of her speech at the OCMA Conference. San Antonio faced long-term fiscal challenges due to the expense of police and fire agreements that the City had with its bargaining units. Extremely high health care costs, and overly-generous education and legal benefits were offered as examples. In her address to the OCMA, Sculley recounted the difficult decisions she had to make, emphasizing the need for courageous leadership and innovative management strategies to ensure the long-term health of city finances.
Worthington City Council is pleased to announce its intent to name Robyn Stewart as the next City Manager for the City of Worthington. Stewart has served as Acting City Manager for over a year since the departure of Matt Greeson in December 2022 and as Worthington’s Assistant City Manager for over 15 years. Council is expected to introduce legislation at its March 4, 2024 meeting and vote on her appointment and contract on March 18.
Stewart has a proven background in budgeting, capital planning, economic development, community engagement and city service delivery. She is active in a number of regional and professional organizations including the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Central Ohio Mayors and Managers Association, the International City/Couty Management Association, and is past-president of the Ohio City/County Management Association. She will be the first woman to serve as City Manager for the City of Worthington.
Stewart grew up in Columbus, Ohio, graduating from West High School and then Wittenberg University. She has a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas. Prior to coming to Worthington in 2008, Stewart served local governments in the Kansas City metro area, including the cities of Leavenworth and Overland Park, Kansas and also as a local government consultant.
“Robyn Stewart is a respected and talented leader with an in-depth knowledge of City operations and services and established relationships in our community and with our staff,” said City Council President Rachael Dorothy. “The search for Worthington’s next City Manager was of vital importance and City Council wanted to take the time to make sure we had the right person in place to lead our organization and community into the future. We are grateful to Robyn for serving in the acting role and are excited to promote her to be our next City Manager.”
“I am very excited to continue leading this organization and community where I have lived and worked for 15 years,” said Stewart. “We have many talented leaders, staff and community members and it will be a privilege to serve as city manager.”
City Council worked with consulting firm Management Advisory Group on the search process which began last spring.
Ava is a MPA student at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and is currently an intern at the Government Resource Center.
Ernie joins OCMA as the Service Director for the City of Fairlawn.
Starr joins OCMA as the Loss Control Manager for MVRMA.