Hilliard City Council hired Michelle Crandall as its first City Manager on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Crandall, who currently serves as the City of Dublin’s Assistant City Manager, will be sworn in on Jan. 2, 2020.
“I look forward to beginning my role as Hilliard’s first City Manager and working collaboratively with City Council, staff, and the community as we create an even brighter future for the City of Hilliard,” Crandall said. “Hilliard is an amazing city, and I feel honored to be considered for a position that will help create a successful, unified vision for the community’s future.”
Council President Kelly McGivern said Crandall rose to the top of a deep pool of outstanding applicants for the position.
“We were blessed to interview five outstanding candidates, each of whom would have been a great City Manager,” McGivern said. “Michelle’s experience, approach to municipal leadership, and strategic vision should be great fit for our community and this transition as we develop and implement a strategic course for the future.”
Crandall has worked for the City of Dublin since 1992, starting as an intern and then management assistant in the City Manager’s office. She subsequently served in various leadership roles, including Director of Administrative Services, Deputy City Manager and Assistant City Manager. She is a professionally trained facilitator who is actively involved in the International City/County Management Association, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and other organizations.
She earned her master’s degree in public administration from The Ohio State University’s School of Public Policy and Management and her bachelor’s degree in political science from Wittenberg University. She also completed the Washington Semester Program at American University and the Executive Leadership Development Program (LEAD) from University of Virginia.
In November 2018, Hilliard voters approved amendments to the City charter that will change its form of government. In Hilliard’s current system, an elected mayor manages the administration on a daily basis. By comparison, a city manager is a professional municipal administrator hired by City Council to manage the day-to-day operations of the organization. In that system, City Council’s roles include hiring the city manager, setting policy and passing legislation.
“This transition presents a tremendous opportunity to set the course for the future of our community,” McGivern said. “City Council knew that selecting the City Manager to help manage this transition would be one of the most important decisions we as elected officials will ever make. We had high expectations for the qualities we were seeking, and Michelle brings all those attributes to the table in a professional, thoughtful and visionary way.”
Council worked to ensure that community and staff feedback were incorporated into the search process. In addition to surveys and focus groups that identified desirable qualities for the City Manager, Council hosted a meet-the-candidates forum during the interviews that included feedback for Council to consider in its deliberations.
McGivern said she believes the community participation was key in finding the ideal candidate.
“We feel fortunate to have someone of Michelle’s experience and vision to partner with Council, staff, and our community in setting and achieving a unified vision and short- and long-term goals,” she said.
