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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > September > 02 > Entry
Editorial: Rashad Young passed test in Dayton
There are two schools of thought about Dayton City Manager Rashad Young leaving for Greensboro, N.C.
Borrowing from Kenny Rogers, one says, “You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille.”
The other goes, “If a bright, young man can get a $30,000-plus raise in this day and time, run for it. Good for him.”
This is an awful time for the city to lose its manager, what with Dayton looking at a $15 million to $20 million deficit next year. That means its budget is at least 9 percent out of whack, with the emphasis on “at least.”
Of course, knowing what Mr. Young knows about Dayton — indeed what anyone who has lived here long knows — there hasn’t been a good time to cut out, and won’t be any time soon. The City of Dayton has been being battered in one form or another since the 1970s.
The city particularly, and the region, too, have to resign themselves to being smaller places. Not inevitably worse places, but smaller and assuredly different.
If you’re 33, ambitious and ready to make your mark, managing an operation that isn’t done downsizing probably isn’t the challenge that you dream about.
Mr. Young has been on the job a little over three years if you count the time he was interim city manager. He has survived long enough and well enough to show that he has many of the right instincts and isn’t in over his head at the helm of a complex organization.
He was here for the hiring of a new police chief, unquestionably an important appointment, and he’s continued to cut spending and jobs. The payroll is down by 8.2 percent or 125 full-time positions from last year.
In one sense, it’s a credit to Dayton that Mr. Young has been picked off. The alternative — to be led by someone whom others don’t think much of — is hardly a compliment.
Moreover, that’s not a situation that a struggling city can afford to be in.
Though too many people in Dayton and in the region forget this fact, the City of Dayton has a long reputation for attracting quality professional managers and letting them do their thing. That tradition means something to talented people who might be wondering whether they should uproot their families and move to a place that unquestionably has problems — problems that will require difficult, painful, controversial solutions.
The appointment of former Daytonian Tim Riordan to be interim city manager is a great move.
He worked for many years for Dayton; he’s kept his eye on the city from Cincinnati, where he’s recently been; and he has a sincere affection for the city. Mr. Riordan also knows many of the players in Dayton, he knows the city’s culture, and he deserves the trust of a commission that needs a hard-headed numbers person who will tell them everything they need to know, no matter how unpleasant.
It could take a while to find a replacement for Mr. Young, and Dayton’s finances are so tenuous that a lot could go wrong quickly. Anyone who’s considering taking the job permanently has to be reassured by the fact that someone with Mr. Riordan’s integrity, ability and stature isn’t going to let a bad situation get worse while the commission is scouting the field.
What Mr. Young owes Dayton before he leaves is candor and full disclosure.
Mr. Riordan shouldn’t have to guess what problems he’ll discover, or about what decisions Mr. Young knows must be made quickly. He owes the commissioners who took a chance on him when he was just 30 an honest appraisal about how they’ve helped him to succeed and how they’ve let him down. His exit interviews need to show deep loyalty and political courage.
If he wants to go out the door doing right by the city that treated him well, he owes Dayton that.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: City of Dayton, Editorials, Ellen Belcher
Comments
By painfultruth
September 2, 2009 6:00 PM | Link to this
Rashad Young is simply jumping off a ship he helped to sink. Greensboro, you are brainless!!!By Painfulblogger
September 2, 2009 6:57 PM | Link to this
Here is some painfultruth. I dislike these blogs, it really brings out the worst in good people and the worst of the bad people. It is like screaming in the dark hoping for signs of intelligent life.By Steve
September 2, 2009 7:51 PM | Link to this
What has he accomplished here in Dayton to make another city offer this guy a contract? His oversight was just another sad chapter in the decline of a once great city. What policies did he implement that righted a sinking vessel? Now we learn that the city will have close to a 20 milliom deficit for 2010? All he’s doing is abandoning ship.But at almost twice the price, I don’t blame him.By Dave
September 2, 2009 7:53 PM | Link to this
Mr. Young has just announced a new policy rewarding anyone who leaves city employment. Do you suppose he is eligible for this extra money?By Paula
September 2, 2009 9:59 PM | Link to this
Young was too young and immature to have a position of this level in the City of Dayton. He did very little and accomplished nothing. hank God, the City Leaders are wise enough to bring back Riordan to Dayton - can you pay him $300,000 to stay and turn this city around. TR is nothing but competent and a class act! God Bless you Tim.By matt
September 2, 2009 10:28 PM | Link to this
what test did he pass? How to take a city with a budget surplus spend all of it and leave it in financial ruin?By Riverdale Ghost
September 2, 2009 10:39 PM | Link to this
Isn’t it great that someone can still just make a call and everything is all taken care of in a sort of dire situation.By City Worker
September 3, 2009 1:34 PM | Link to this
Good Riddance Rashad - Take your good ole ‘Boy’ network to NC with you. Maybe some intelligent decisions on city spending can be done now and less Empire building for your buddies. If you had ever worked in the real world (non-public service) you might understand basic financial conepts.By Bill
September 3, 2009 3:49 PM | Link to this
I don’t understand this article. Rashad Young really hasn’t done anything but manage deficits and watched business after business leave the City. Hey ddn staff, did you do your homework? What has he really done since being city manager. We are worse off now than when he became manager. Is it because he is a democrat and your policy is to never give negative publicity toward democrats. I bet you would have written differently had he been a conservative. He passed the test of letting businesses leave Dayton, reducing police and fire, and being 20 mil in deficit.