Thursday, May 20, 1999
Lebanon manager praised as innovator
BY DAVID ECK
Enquirer Contributor
LEBANON — A retired Army officer who earned high marks for his economic development prowess and high-tech savviness as a city administrator in Wisconsin is Lebanon's new city manager.
James H. Patrick was hired Wednesday morning by city council. The city administrator of New London, Wis., begins July 26 and will earn $70,000 annually. It's expected council will give him a three-year contract.
“The selection we made is absolutely fabulous,” Councilman James Reinhard said.
Mr. Patrick, 48, replaces Richard Hayward, who resigned in November but said he would stay on until May 31. In April, Mr. Hayward stepped down from his post and was placed in charge of special projects.
C. Ed Patterson has been Lebanon's acting city manager, but his contract will end 30 days after Mr. Patrick starts.
New London, a community of about 7,000 a half-hour west of Green Bay, is about half the size of Lebanon. Mr. Patrick has been administrator there 41/2 years. He previously served as a manager for a Pennsylvania township.
Leaders in New London are sad to see Mr. Patrick go.
“I wish there was some way I could break his leg or something to make him stay,” New London Mayor Wayne Toltzman said Wednesday. “He's been an integral part of our community.”
Mr. Patrick was pivotal in the city's economic development efforts, the mayor said. Among his coups: overseeing development of an industrial project that brought 200 jobs to New London.
He also was lauded in Wisconsin for his creativity. For instance, he used residents of a local juvenile detention facility to help redevelop a dilapidated building into an incubator for small businesses.
He is also working to link the generators of City Hall, two schools and an area hospital to provide shelter in the event of a power outage.
“I tend to think we're going to see a lot of innovative ideas,” Lebanon Councilman John McComb said. “He's very comfortable accepting a goal or a plan from council and implementing it.”
Mr. Patrick's arrival comes almost a year after Lebanon's first recall election. Since then, numerous controversies have bubbled — from public records spats with local media to arguments over historic preservation and growth.
Mr. Patrick said despite those difficulties, he was impressed with council's united interest in improving Lebanon.
“They have that unified position, looking out for Lebanon,” he said. “It's a progressive city. One of the things that attracted me to Lebanon was their desire to be a world-class city, and to be progressive and proactive in a lot of different areas.”
Lebanon council members described Mr. Patrick as a consensus builder who emphasized personal development among his staff.
In New London, Mr. Patrick implemented “employee work teams” to find ways to improve service delivery and employee productivity. He worked with the local community development corporation to reorganize and obtain economic development grants and was a big player in downtown development efforts.
He also has experience in telecommunications, which earned kudos from Lebanon leaders who recently launched a $7 million telecommunications system. Mr. Patrick also designed New London's Web site.
In Lebanon, council members expect him to enhance the city's supply of parks and recreation opportunities.
New London has “quite a degree of significant parks,” said Mr. McComb, one of two council members who traveled to New London during the search. “They have a very involved recreation program for their citizens, much more sophisticated than we do.”
The new manager has a reputation for acting quickly and working with all segments of the community.
“Basically his style is going to be the biggest help in allowing him to bring the entire Warren County community together with Lebanon,” Mr. Reinhard said. “The impressions that you get are honest and genuine.”
Those impressions were seen immediately when Mr. Patrick strolled through Lebanon recently.
“I instantly liked the guy,” said Gene Jestice, who owns a bookstore in Lebanon's business district. “He seems to be concerned with preserving the good quality of life that we already have here.”
Mr. Patrick said he and his family are impressed with Lebanon.
“The quality of life is superb. We've already been welcomed to the community in a lot of ways,” he said. “The people really took us under their wings.”
PATRICK FILE
• Age: 48.
• Family: Wife, Anita. They have two sons, ages 6 and 4, and a 5-week-old daughter.
• Education: Master's in management from the University of Southern California, 1988. Bachelor's in biology from Wheaton College (Ill.), 1973.
• Salary: Lebanon city manager, $70,000 per year.
• Military experience: A 20-year Army veteran, retired as lieutenant colonel in 1993. Last assignment was chief of base operations for Army in Europe. He oversaw the operation of 127 military installations in Europe.
• Professional experience: City administrator in New London, Wis., since 1995. Manager of Butler Township in Drums, Pa., 1993-1995.
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