Dave Rowlands, Clayton, Ohio’s first city manager, received a new two-year
contract [in 2003] that will keep him on the job until December 31, 2005. City
council hired him as the first manager in 2001.
“I would say David’s lowest grade on his report card from the city council
was probably an A-minus, but most of his grades were in the A-plus [range],”
Clayton Mayor Ted Gudorf said. “City council unanimously believed he exceeded
council’s expectations in virtually every area.”
Gudorf said, “Employee morale is up. He has established a clear direction and
vision for the city council and is in a position where he has received the full
support of the council.”
Rowlands’s ability to communicate is his strong suit, Gudorf said. “The
bottom line is that Dave’s strength is his ability to communicate with
employees, council, and the public in a manner where each feels as though their
input is valued, respected, and listened to. If Dave Rowlands tells you he is
going to do something, he makes sure that it gets done. Dave doesn’t play any
games or favorites. The employees respect him for his straightforwardness.”
Rowlands came to Clayton in January 2001 from Novato, California, where he
was deputy city manager. His resume also includes a stint as an assistant city
manager in West Carrollton, Ohio. He also worked as an administrative assistant
in Mason, Ohio, after graduating from California Lutheran with a political
science degree and California State University with a master’s degree in public
administration.
“My tenure here has been great,” Rowlands said. “I had a wonderful working
relationship with the seven councilmembers who hired me and the ones now.”
Rowlands points with pride to a number of initiatives within the internal
organizational projects and community projects.
When Rowlands arrived, the city had entered into a water agreement with the
city of Dayton. He helped implement the process of providing water to a section
of Clayton north of Interstate 70 that includes the Northmont middle and high
school campuses.
“Now we have the Main Street improvement project [which is] more a
beautification project,” Rowlands said. That project involves curbs, gutters,
decorative landscaping, and decorative lighting in the half-mile between Old
Salem Road and Hacker Road.
At [a recent] meeting, Clayton held the final reading of a resolution that
would allow the city to enter into a sewer agreement with Montgomery County.
“Montgomery County is going to be placing in a trunk main,” Rowlands said. “They
will be able to service all of Clayton. Right now, south of Interstate 70 is on
the county system. North of the city is on wells.” In addition, he said, there’s
a joint Hoke Road/National Road project to ease congestion.
Internally, the city has performed a development plan and conducted a
comprehensive plan aimed at improving police functions.
“We’ve also won a couple of national awards,” Rowlands said. The city won the
top honors from 3CMA (the City-County Communications and Marketing Association)
for its learning community program and third place for its community newsletter.
“The real big item was the successful campaign for the income tax,” Rowlands
said. Voters approved the city’s first income tax in May, after rejecting it in
the previous election. “The future, I think, is very bright right now,” he said,
“with the sewer coming and the income tax.”
On the horizon is a comprehensive plan for the physical development of the
community, he said. “We’d also like to do a strategic plan to guide the
decisionmakers over the next 20 years. We want to keep the characteristics here
for people to retire. We want people’s kids to come back after college to live
here. We want to be the crown jewel of the area.”
