Members of the Clintonville Common Council recognized former City Administrator Chuck Kell for his time serving the position and the city of Clintonville.
“You came at a time that we needed leadership and direction,” said Clintonville Police Chief Jim Beggs, who was the council’s nominated spokesperson. “We needed a go-to person to go to, to help us reorganize, help us maintain the course. You made the transition to different management styles bearable, while encouraging us to grow in our own departments.”
Kell was hired as interim administrator after the resignation of Lisa Kotter in September of 2014. In August 2015, the city had removed the “interim” tag on his position that he held since the hiring of current City Administrator Sharon Eveland.
Kell says when he first took over, his mission was to keep the boat afloat and help the city trend in a positive direction, but as his role shifted to a more permanent position, his focus was much more involved.
“I got much more active in trying to upgrade the city and a lot of their facets financially and ordinance-wise, things that needed to be addressed,” he said. “I got some new fiscal policies the finance committee adopted, I got some procurement policies in place for them, I went after some grants and I looked for other sources of funding for the city.”
One achievement in particular Kell noted was the federal grant obtained for the water and wastewater facility project that the city had previously given up on.
As far as the future of Clintonville, he’s optimistic.
“I think we’ve created an environment where we were able to hire a good administrator,” Kell said of Sharon Eveland, who will succeed Kell as city administrator. “She’s inexperienced, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders. She learns fast and she’s well-spoken. I think she’s going to do a great job. The community needs to have patience and giver her time and I think she’ll do fine for the city.”