Acting City Manager Named in 6-1 Vote
City Launches New Search as Ralley Steps in Temporarily
City Council will undertake a national search for a permanent successor to Hilliard City Manager Michelle Crandall whose last day as the city’s administrative leader will be July 25.
Council on June 23 approved a resolution appointing the city’s assistant city manager, Dan Ralley, as acting city manager, effective July 26.
It is not uncommon for the assistant city manager of a municipality to ascend to city manager, even after a regional or national search and the interview of candidates, but Ralley said after the June 23 council meeting that he will not seek to be hired as Hilliard’s city manager.
**Update: The city’s other assistant manager under contract, Kyle Kridler, has also stated he will not be seeking the full time position.
The resolution naming Ralley as acting city manager, effective July 26, passed 6-1 with Councilman Les Carrier dissenting.
Carrier, speaking after the meeting adjourned, said City Council should instead have undertaken an interview process for acting city manager.
Councilman Andy Teater publicly voiced support for Ralley from the dais.
“(Ralley) is an excellent choice (and) a good move to make a transition as the city conducts a through search (for a permanent city manager),” Teater said.
City Council President Tina Cottone said, with council approval, that it will hire a firm to do a national search.
"City Council is being proactive so that we will be able to seamlessly carry on after (Crandall) leaves the role (of city manager)," Cottone said.
Recent History
Hilliard hired Novak Consulting Group to conduct a nationwide search that resulted in the hire of Crandall as the city’s first city manager.
Several out-of-state candidates were considered but City Council looked next door when hiring Crandall, who was the assistant city manager in Dublin.
Crandall began serving as Hilliard’s first city manager Jan. 1, 2020 after the Hilliard electorate, in November 2018, approved an amendment to the city charter to replace the strong mayor form of city government with that of a city manager.
The move aligned Hilliard with most other central Ohio municipalities of comparable size that employed an appointed city manager rather than an elected mayor as its chief operating officer, including Upper Arlington, New Albany, Worthington, Westerville, and Dublin.
Crandall announced her resignation May 27 as Hilliard’s city manager to accept the job as Chief Member Services Officer of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
“Hilliard is an amazing community with an incredibly talented, innovative, and dedicated team of city employees. I am proud of all we have accomplished together during my time here. I leave here knowing that we have co-created a culture that honors the ideas, contributions and talents of all of our staff members and that results in exceptional services and safety services for all of our community members,” Crandall previously said.
The resolution naming Ralley as acting city manager includes an employment agreement.
The agreement sets the gross pay rate as equivalent to that of assistant city manager plus an additional $40 per hour, but Ralley will remain as a salaried and Fair Labor and Standards Act-exempt employee of the city.
It includes language, as needed, for how he could resume, or be relieved from, returning to the sole responsibilities of assistant city manager.
There is no timeline for identifying and hiring a permanent city manager to succeed Crandall but the search to find the city’s first city manager took upwards of 12 months.
Carrier said he believes any city manager candidate would prefer to know the result of the election for City Council in November before taking the job.
Four seats on City Council are up for grabs in November.
Thanks to the Hilliard Beacon, whenever I see that 6-1 vote, I know immediately who that 1 is.