Dickstein to be named city manager

SHELLEY DICKSTEIN BIO

The Dayton City Commission will name Shelley Dickstein as its permanent city manager on Wednesday, almost five months after hiring her in an interim capacity.

Commissioners said Dickstein, who served as the assistant city manager for about eight years, has shown impressive leadership while serving at the city’s helm, and they feel strongly that she is the right fit for Dayton’s top administrative job.

As the permanent manager, Dickstein will earn $172,500 to oversee a budget of more than $600 million and a staff of about 1,900.

“Our opportunity to observe her as an interim city manager really gave me all the confidence I needed to know that Shelley can do a great job,” said Commissioner Joey Williams.

Dickstein permanently replaces Warren Price, who resigned abruptly in mid-September after serving only eight months.

Dickstein’s hiring represents a significant departure from the lengthy search process commissioners used to select Price.

“I think it was just really easy for us on the decision this time,” said Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley.

City commissioners announced Monday that Dickstein will be officially appointed Wednesday and her swearing in will be Feb. 8.

Dickstein took over as interim city manager in September after the resignation of Price.

Dickstein was a finalist for the city manager job a year ago, but commissioners ultimately selected Price, an outsider from Canton with no previous experience working for the city.

Price said he stepped down because he felt it was in his best interest since the job wasn't working out.

Dickstein, 50, who lives in the Oregon Historic District, will be Dayton’s 19th city manager.

The city manager is responsible for executing and administering the policies and priorities laid out by commissioners, Dickstein said. She said a big part of her job is ensuring staff understand the city’s policy directives and share a common vision for moving the community forward.

“It’s very similar to the private sector, where commissioners are like the board of directors and provide a lot of direction as it relates to the organization’s policies and where we spend our resources,” she said. “My role as the city manager is to be the administrator of policies to help vet some of the strategic initiatives, so we are supporting one another.”

Dickstein said her focus will be on aligning resources and establishing good practices to advance the city’s objectives of improving customer service, attracting new investment, creating a welcoming and inclusive community and building trust between law enforcement and residents.

Dickstein’s experience in economic development makes her the perfect administrator for a city that is growing and benefiting from revitalization and urban renewal, city officials said.

During her time with the city, Dickstein has structured and overseen 125 development projects that have created 4,800 new jobs, retained 15,000 jobs and leveraged more than $260 million in development, said Mayor Whaley.

Dickstein has proven to be highly capable of managing the city since assuming the interim role, and the commission discussed her permanent appointment during two executive session meetings in recent weeks, Whaley said.

“We’ve been really impressed with the leadership Shelley’s provided to employees and the organization,” Whaley said.

Commissioner Chris Shaw, who was elected in November, said he’s pleased Dickstein has formed impactful relationships with the local business community and has a background of collaborating with companies and developers.

“Shelley has a very strong business acumen and economic development skill set, which I thought was very important,” he said.

“I have worked with Shelley on economic development projects for 15 years, and her appointment to city manager shows the City Commissioners place a high priority on economic development,” said Jeff Hoagland, President and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition. “There is a great deal of momentum in the greater downtown area and the region, and Shelley knows how to use that momentum to move the city forward.”

Dickstein joined the city in 1996 as the citizen participation coordinator in the department of planning and community development. She was promoted multiple times and was selected to be the assistant city manager in 2007.

Dickstein’s hiring came after little fanfare surrounding the city manager search. City leaders spoke sparingly about the hunt for Price’s replacement after he stepped down.

In late 2014, the city embarked on a months-long search process for a new city manager that cost thousands of dollars.

The city paid $24,500 to hire a Cincinnati firm to oversee the search, which collected and screened applications from people around Ohio and the country.

Commissioners selected Price after interviewing a small number of finalists, including internal candidates Dickstein and Terry Slaybaugh, the director of aviation.