All it took was a 10-minute introduction at City Hall Wednesday to convince some Cincinnati City Council members that Valerie Lemmie should be Cincinnati's next city manager.

City manager designate Valerie Lemmie was introduced Wednesday by Mayor Charlie Luken. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        Council members who met her for the first time Wednesday said they were impressed by her poise, her energy and her mantra of “organizational change.”

        “I understand organizational bureaucracies and I understand how to change them,” she said. “We're going to do great things.”

        Mayor Charlie Luken's choice of the 49-year-old Dayton city manager was the “worst-kept secret in Cincinnati,” Mr. Luken said.

        Still, the formal announcement Wednesday was warmly received by council members who, for the first time in the city's history, cannot hire a city manager on their own.

        Ms. Lemmie will interview one-on-one with council members this weekend, and the mayor said he expects a unanimous vote to confirm her next Wednesday.

        If so, Mr. Luken said she could start by the middle of March.

        Ms. Lemmie would come to a city government about twice the size of Dayton, and will meet some immediate challenges: the aftermath of a U.S. Justice Department investigation into the police use of force; a venture into “managed competition” of city services, and a projected $27 million budget deficit in 2003.

REACTION

City Council reaction to Mayor Charlie Luken's pick of Valerie Lemmie as city manager Wednesday:     “She appears to be highly qualified, and well suited to Cincinnati. I'm impressed by the credentials I've seen on paper so far. I look forward to sitting down with Ms. Lemmie and getting to know her better.” — Paul Booth     “It's exciting. I look forward to change, and based on her experience, it looks like she can bring some innovative new ideas. I think she'll be a an important piece of the puzzle.” — Minette Cooper     “I think she sounds like a dynamo. Few managers are able to foster a sense of teamwork among city employees and at the same time shake up the bureaucracy. From what I've heard, she can do that. She's a fantastic choice, and she has my full and unequivocal support.” — John Cranley “A week ago, I was getting all negatives about her. But ever since then, I've heard nothing but positive things. She works well with people. She pushes them. She presses them. She was impressive, and she makes a good spokeswoman.” — David Crowley “I have followed what Dayton has done in the last four years, and I don't think there's any question that they're getting a lot done. For people who have been to their downtown lately, they certainly have seen a rebirth.” — Pat DeWine “I'm impressed with her credentials. I'm very excited about a fresh start for the city. Let's get to work.” — Chris Monzel “I'm excited to sit down and talk with her. You have to look at just how hard Dayton has been fighting to keep her. That has to tell you something.” — David Pepper “I'm not going to say anything until I have a chance to sit down with her.” — Alicia Reece “Her greatest accomplishments have been in community relations and development, and you could make a pretty good case that those are our top two priorities right now. At age 49, you can make the case that she's at the top of her game right now. The combination of her experience and maturity — combined with the youth we have on City Council right now — are a good match.” — Jim Tarbell

COMPENSATION

The city manager's compensation package Mayor Charlie Luken has proposed to Valerie Lemmie is worth about $193,000 a year. It includes:     • About $176,000 in base salary.     • An $11,000-a-year contribution to a deferred-income plan managed by the International City—County Management Association.     • A $550 per month car allowance.     • Twenty-one days of vacation a year.     • Actual moving expenses.     • Up to $8,000 in “transition expenses,” to include commuting costs and temporary housing.     • A $300,000 life insurance policy.     • A $187,000 termination benefit should she be fired or if the city manager form of government is abolished.     The same health care and pension benefits afforded other senior city executives.

        Ms. Lemmie said she's up to those challenges.

        “My responsibility is to join the team that's already working on all of these endeavors to make sure we have a real change that is positive,” she said. “Everyone must feel they have a stake in the future of this city.”

        After contract negotiations with the five-member Dayton City Commission broke down last week, Ms. Lemmie showed a sensitivity to concerns of Cincinnati council members.

        She said she's looking forward to hearing what the elected officials' priorities are and implementing those goals. In five minutes of answering questions, Ms. Lemmie used the words “collectively” and “cooperatively” at least a half-dozen times. Other words prevalent in her vocabulary — team, change and posture.

        And she was unflappable, even when asked if she would be comfortable playing second fiddle to a stronger mayor.

        “I think it's great,” she said, noting with a laugh how closely the media had followed her job search. “As a city manager, my posture is generally as a behind-the-scenes player.”

        Council reaction to the choice ranged from a “no comment” from Vice Mayor Alicia Reece to an enthusiastic stamp of approval from Councilman John Cranley.

        Most council members were in the middle, saying they were impressed with Ms. Lemmie's credentials but wanted to withhold judgment until they had the chance to meet with her.

        Ms. Lemmie emerged as Mr. Luken's top choice after a two-month national search that took him as far as Oakland, Calif.

        “I didn't expect when I got into this that I would find the best candidate 45 minutes away,” Mr. Luken said.

        The turning point in the search came two weeks ago, when Mr. Luken received a phone call from Gov. Bob Taft. At the time, Ms. Lemmie was just one of 23 people on a long list of candidates.

        Mr. Luken said it was the longest conversation he'd ever had with the governor on any single subject.

        “He made it clear when he talked to me that he was not just doing someone a political favor. He was very aware of her talents and her accomplishments,” Mr. Luken said.

        Then the mayor got a phone call from his old friend and political rival, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

        “He gave her his highest recommendation, but I decided to pursue her anyway,” Mr. Luken joked.

        Mr. Luken said he was particularly impressed with the way Ms. Lemmie chose Dayton's police chief by appointing a 14-member task force to advise her on the selection.

        Mr. Luken called it a “national model of citizen participation” — a model that could come into play in Cincinnati as civil service reform allows the city manager to pick department heads.

        By looking outside the city, Mr. Luken said he hoped to send the message that he's determined to change the way city government does business. Former city manager John Shirey had been at the job eight years — longer than any city manager since 1963.

        Mr. Luken's mind seemed made up late last week, but he saved the formal announcement until Ms. Lemmie could come to Cincinnati.

        The mayor has offered Ms. Lemmie a base salary of $176,000, with additional benefits that bring her total compensation package to about $193,000 a year. Mr. Shirey made a base salary of $149,000.

        Mr. Luken said he was determined not to lose “the best city manager candidate available in the country” over a matter of $10,000 or $20,000. Ms. Lemmie made $169,000 in salary and benefits in Dayton, and walked away from an offer of $231,000 from Birmingham, England, last year.

        “I've been in this career all my life, and it's nice to know that the work I've done in Dayton and my whole career has been recognized as a skill set that's valued in Cincinnati,” Ms. Lemmie said.

        And though some might see the city manager's role as diminished by the charter amendment that gave the mayor more power, Mr. Luken said the job is just as important as ever.

        “The charter did not change one very important fact, and that is that the city manager is the boss of the 6,600 people who work for the city of Cincinnati,” Mr. Luken said.

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