BY RICHELLE THOMPSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEBANON - Richard Hayward, who resigned his city manager's post Tuesday, will be interviewing for the same job Friday and Saturday in a fast-growing city 20 miles north of Columbus.
Officials in Delaware hope to decide within a week.
Mr. Hayward cited his wish to seek other employment opportunities as his reason for the resignation. He said in his resignation letter he would remain city manager until May 31 or until he takes another position.
Mr. Hayward, who earns $70,380, would not comment Wednesday about his decision to leave or whether council asked him to step down. Four council members also declined to comment.
Council has clashed with Mr. Hayward in the past few months over job performance. In addition, some critics of Mr. Hayward thought the historic city - home to Ohio's oldest inn, the Golden Lamb - grew too fast under his 11-year tenure.
But Mr. Hayward's experience in attracting industry and managing growth earned him a spot on Delaware's short list to lead the city of about 30,000 people, Delaware Councilman Dave Weiser said.
Mr. Hayward is one of three finalists - and the only one from Ohio - contending for the position in the seat of Ohio's fastest-growing county. Of Ohio's 88 counties, Warren County is the second-fastest growing, based on population increases since the 1990 census.
The news of Mr. Hayward's impending interview surprised Lebanon Councilman Jim Reinhard. He supports the resignation, calling it "best for the city and for Richard."
Mr. Reinhard said: "We knew he was looking around. We just didn't expect it to be that quick."
As city manager of Delaware, Mr. Hayward would be on familiar ground.
Issues facing the city include revitalizing the downtown, attracting industry and managing the explosive residential and commercial developments, Mr. Weiser said.
"We want to have controlled growth," he said. "There's been just one development after another coming into the city."
The last decade has seen a similar situation in Lebanon.
When Mr. Hayward came on board in December 1987, Main and Mulberry streets were bookends for the downtown historic district, and the antiques business was just starting to blossom.
People then were concerned about lack of growth, Mr. Hayward has said.
Eleven years later, the city's population has increased from about 10,000 to an estimated 13,700. New and expanded industries created more than 2,200 jobs, and the housing market boomed, with the construction of more than 1,100 homes.
The pendulum has swung to a slow-growth philosophy, as evidenced by residents pleading with council this fall to vote against a zoning change that would have allowed more dense housing. Residents also petitioned council to buy land for a park rather than allow developers to build an apartment complex on it.
Lebanon Deputy Planning Director Doug Johnson thinks Mr. Hayward's vision no longer matched that of city council, which has added four new members in the past year because of resignations, elections or illness.
The city has developed so quickly that "it experienced some growing pains," Mr. Johnson said. Mr. Hayward was a victim of the city's soul-searching during the last year, he said.
In a May interview, Mr. Hayward compared the job of city manager to a sports coach.
"When you have a good season, you're loved," he said. "If it's a bad season, you're dirt."
