What does Danville want?

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: July 11, 2008

Danvillians are being asked what kinds of skills and experience the next city manager should have. Asking for that kind of public input is a promising tilt toward open government.

“While the city manager worked for City Council, his or her duty is to serve the citizens of our city,” Danville Mayor Sherman Saunders said. “Accordingly, council feels that it is important to get citizens input.”

But by asking the question, City Council acknowledges that the city manager is more than just another municipal worker on the payroll.

That was certainly true of Jerry Gwaltney, who for eight and one-half years personified Danville’s government.

Gwaltney was a key community player and one of the city’s most visible representatives. He was personally involved in economic development projects and was often one of the first contacts new companies had with the Dan River Region. Gwaltney was often quoted in the news media about city projects, plans and policies. Early in his tenure, Gwaltney even developed the “Danville Can” community slogan.

While he did all of that with the knowledge and consent of City Council, he was more than just another bureaucrat.

We think the next city manager must be able to continue the region’s economic development momentum, have experience with public utilities, work with neighborhood and citizen groups and continue efforts to repair and replace infrastructure, fight violent crime and properly pay city workers.

But what will Danvillians say? The responses promise to be interesting.

Some fiscal conservatives believe the job can be done for $50,000 per year — about a third of what Gwaltney made. They certainly won’t be happy if the city hires a professional search firm to find Gwaltney’s replacement.

Add to that group those who believe that it’s always better to hire a local person for the job, regardless of their experience managing a 1,200-employee, $108 million operation.

Historic preservationists will want someone willing to throw themselves in front of the bulldozers — or at least end the current demolitions of old and historic —but dilapidated — buildings in the city’s central core.

Job seekers will want more economic development. Taxpayers will want someone to count the pennies. Citizens will demand that existing city services — such as backyard garbage pickup — continue, regardless of their cost.

Asking Danvillians what they want in a new city manager will probably attract as many different answers as replies. That shouldn’t concern the members of City Council, though. The buck stops with them, and this will be their decision to make — and live with.