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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us November 3, 2005 Grimaldi accepts new job Ashland city administrator will step down in June to take top job in Springfield By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland will again be searching for a city administrator after Gino Grimaldi announced he has accepted the post of city manager in Springfield. Grimaldi, who took the city of Ashland’s top staff post in 2003, will stay through June, when his son graduates from high school, according to city officials. “Sometimes the moon and stars align,” Grimaldi said this morning. The Springfield job, he said, was probably the only one that could have lured him from Ashland at this time. Grimaldi will have even more responsibilities in Springfield, which has a population of 55,350 — compared to 20,590 in Ashland — and about twice the annual budget. Grimaldi will be returning to a community that he knows well. He served as assistant city manager for Springfield for 14 years before coming to Ashland. “This is a wonderful opportunity for me both professionally and personally. Springfield feels like home and I have deep roots and many friendships in the area,” he said in a statement released by the city. Leadership transition Including Grimaldi, Ashland has had three city administrators since Brian Almquist retired from the job in 1998 after serving for 27 years. The city runs a broad range of services, such as the Ashland Fiber Network, that other municipalities don’t offer. With the added factor of high resident involvement, the workload on the city administrator is heavy. Grimaldi said those factors did not affect his decision to leave Ashland next summer. “All those factors attracted me and will attract the next person. They’re energizing. Anyone in the profession would love that,” he said in an interview. Because Springfield officials are willing to wait for Grimaldi until July 1, Mayor John Morrison said Grimaldi will be available to manage Ashland’s transition to a new city administrator. Morrison said as mayor, he will likely set up interview panels filled with community members and city officials to help find Grimaldi’s replacement. Ashland’s mayor appoints the city administrator, who the city council must confirm. ‘A bump in the road’ Since 2000, a new person has filled nearly every department head position, as well as the city administrator post. On the elected side of city government, the mayor and all Ashland City Councilors have taken their seats since 2000. The city is in the midst of recruiting a new planning director after 19-year veteran John McLaughlin left to become the planning director for Truckee, Calif., in August. The search for a new Ashland Fiber Network director is on hold while the city council considers the fate of the financially struggling enterprise. Ashland Public Works Director Paula Brown, one of only three remaining veteran department heads, is serving in Iraq. City Councilor Kate Jackson said much of the uncertainty in city government will be resolved by the time Grimaldi leaves for Springfield. “Paula Brown will be back, we’ll have a new planning director, AFN will be on track and a new administrator will be hired,” she said. “This is just another bump in the road.” Community members and some city councilors and staff members attribute Ashland’s high turnover in the last several years to a range of factors, including people reaching retirement age or being offered better career opportunities, as well as changing demographics and growth. Jackson said Grimaldi serves the community well by listening to diverse viewpoints. “He’s been exceedingly careful to listen to everyone,” she said. Morrison said Grimaldi is a professional who understands that his job is to carry out the policies adopted by the city council, but who will also speak up if he doesn’t agree. “He’s professional, calm and always came from a position of thoughtfulness. He’s always honest in dealing with people. He’s one of the best city administrators I’ve had a close working relationship with,” said Morrison, who previously worked for the Rogue Valley Council of Govern-ments and interacted with many area city officials. Staff writer Vickie Aldous can be reached at 482-3456 x 3018 or [email protected]. 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