Over the eight years he’s been with Clayton, Kuntz said he has been equipped with skills and experience that will serve him in his new role.
“I believe working within the scope of Clayton’s operations has prepared me for Brookville’s city manager position by exposing myself to multiple roles and leadership responsibilities within the city framework,” he said last week, noting that as director of development, he was not only responsible for all the economic development activities within the city, but also with all the community outreach programming for Clayton, marketing, and as public information officer.
Kuntz also worked directly with the parks advisory commission and the Clayton Public Works Department on capital improvements within the park system, and was the primary grant writer for all of the city’s development and public work/infrastructure projects.
“Clayton afforded me the opportunity of working with great department heads across the board, great administrative leadership and a council that was forward thinking,” he said, adding that this experience helped him learn the ins and outs of “growing and operating a city in a smart and fiscally conservative fashion.”
Kuntz said he looks forward to building upon Brookville’s strengths as he takes over the city’s top position.
“I believe Brookville has a bright future, is geographically positioned very well along the interstate system, has one of the best school systems in the state, has great community outreach and a very strong park system, paired with a strong staff,” he said. “... I’m excited to be a part of Brookville’s future and building on the foundation that’s already in place.”
The toughest part about leaving his Clayton position, Kuntz said, will be saying goodbye to his former colleagues.
“Clayton has an unbelievable staff, starting at the top and across the board,” he said, adding that he’ll also miss being involved in the city’s continued growth. “There are many projects in the pipeline, both developmentally and infrastructure centered, which will be exciting to see implemented over the next several years ... and not being a part of some of those projects moving forward will be bittersweet.”
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