Crum Among Finalists For Job In Dayton, Ohio

Spokane City Manager Roger Crum is one of six finalists for the top administrator’s spot in Dayton, Ohio.

“In the current state of uncertainty, I have to keep my options open,” Crum said Thursday. “I’d like to be someplace where there’s a certainty I’m going to be around for five or six years.”

Crum currently is working without a contract while a consultant helps the City Council evaluate his job performance.

Attorney Steve Eugster is circulating a petition to change Spokane to a strong-mayor form of government - a move that could leave Crum jobless within two years.

This is the second time in less than a year that Crum has a good shot at another city manager’s job. It also is the second time he didn’t tell his bosses he was looking for work.

“No. You’re kidding,” said a chuckling Mayor Jack Geraghty when told of Crum’s possible career move. “He has not told me that, but that’s not unusual.”

“I didn’t know … but it makes perfectly good sense,” said councilwoman Phyllis Holmes, referring to the evaluation and petition drive. “Those are pressure times.”

“I’m surprised to hear about this. Am I surprised he’s looking? Probably not,” said Chris Anderson. “If I were in Roger’s shoes … I’d certainly be looking.”

In September, Crum was one of three finalists for the top job in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Crum withdrew his name from consideration on the same day that five of 11 Ann Arbor council members voted in favor of hiring him. He needed six votes.

At that time, news that Crum was on a job search shocked Spokane council members, with responses ranging from “Really?” to “I’ll be darned.”

As for the Ohio job, Crum said he didn’t know he had been chosen as a finalist until Thursday, when a reporter from the Dayton Daily News called him.

Crum said he’s not sure he’ll stay a finalist because he can’t make the weekend interviews in Dayton scheduled for May 3-5 because of a personal commitment.

“I may go onto a backup list so they can keep me in mind for the future,” Crum said.

Crum said he began drafting a memo to the City Council earlier this week about his job search, but didn’t get a chance to finish it before hearing the news.

In the memo, Crum mentions that he also has applied for a job in a city besides Dayton. He declined Thursday to identify the other city.

“I don’t think it should come as a shock to anybody that there is some question about long-term security here,” Crum wrote in the memo.

The council expects to decide whether to renew Crum’s contract May 9.

Crum’s leadership abilities have come under scrutiny recently from some council members. They criticized his surprise push for a pay raise for top managers last December.

Some members also have expressed concerns that Crum has taken too long to make a decision about whether to discipline Police Chief Terry Mangan. Last month, Mangan was involved in an armed confrontation with three CB club members parked outside his Valley home.

In his memo to the council, Crum said he isn’t anxious to leave Spokane, but looking for work is “simply a necessary action based upon my personal desire for a semi-secure future.” He added that he has family in Ohio, which makes Dayton a good move.

Crum’s name was whittled from a field of 59 candidates vying for Dayton’s city manager spot. Similar to Spokane, Dayton’s top administrator answers only to the council, which consists of five non-partisan commissioners elected citywide.

Dayton has about 185,000 people and paid its last city manager $122,000 a year. He was fired by the commissioners in December and currently is suing the city.

Dayton Commissioner Tony Capizzi said the city is looking for someone who can deal with inner-city issues and help the business community recruit and retain new jobs.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo