HAMILTON — The city manager announced Friday he will retire, effective June 1, for personal reasons, Mayor Don Ryan said Sunday.

        Steve Sorrell, 53, announced he is leaving to spend more time with his family.

        “His desire to make the city a better place than it was before he took office was evident in everything he did,” Mr. Ryan said.

        Mr. Sorrell, who did not return calls for comment Sunday, was eligible to begin collecting his pension in April after 30 years of service in Hamilton.

        He has been the city manager in the city of 61,000 since April 1999 and had been assistant city manager for seven years before that.

        Hamilton is the Tristate's second-largest city behind Cincinnati.

        Assistant City Manager Mark Brandenberger will run Hamilton for seven days, but City Council will hold a special meeting this week to discuss Mr. Sorrell's interim replacement. That session has yet to be scheduled.

        A job search for a new city manager will be launched immediately, Mr. Ryan said.

        Mr. Sorrell has considered leaving his job several times in the past and most recently was pursuing jobs outside the state, in areas such as St. Pete Beach, Fla., and Rock Hill, S.C.

        In February, council held an executive session to discuss Mr. Sorrell's frequent job searches. A few days later, Mr. Sorrell and council announced he would stay in Hamilton for the time being and would not seek employment elsewhere.

        Council seemed poised to allow Mr. Sorrell to retire and be re-hired two months later so he could “double dip.” The move would have cost Hamilton no extra money, council said at the time, because his pension comes from the state retirement system.

        Council members said then they were eager to hold onto him because they didn't want to spend a lot of time searching for his replacement amid the city's stalled economic development.

        On Sunday, Mr. Ryan said Mr. Sorrell would not return in a double-dipping arrangement after all.

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