Council hires John Curp interim city manager, despite Councilwoman Liz Keating's concern the process was 'rushed'

Former Cincinnati City Solicitor John Curp was named interim city manager-designate in a 9-0 vote on Wednesday.

The nine included Republican Councilwoman Liz Keating, who earlier in the day voiced concern about rushing the decision on a job that nobody knows how long will last while a national search is done.

Keating said Curp would be the equivalent of the CEO of a billion-dollar corporation.

"We need to do our due diligence and I don't think that's being done," Keating said during council's Budget and Finance Committee meeting. In the end, she cast a yes vote at the council meeting later in the day.

She pointed out, "We haven’t gotten a resume or a list of references." Due to printing issues in the Clerk of Council office, council members did not at first have Curp's contract in front of them, though they were emailed a copy.

Mayor Aftab Pureval recommended Dec. 27 that Curp be hired before taking office and was on hand during the committee meeting to answer questions. His point was that the hire needed to be made so there could be overlap with City Manager Paula Boggs Muething, who is departing on Jan. 19.

"We were elected to make the hard decisions," Pureval said.

A big complaint from council members in the past was the continued request from the mayor to make decisions quickly.

Councilman Greg Landsman, who as chairman of the committee ran the meeting, and Councilman Mark Jeffreys disagreed with Keating.

Landsman: "There is no time to spare."

Jeffrie to Curp: "It is critical you have time with the (current) city manager."

Boggs Muething has not commented on her departure. She did not attend the council meeting.

Council also approved Boggs Muething's severance package, which is worth roughly $287,465 and is more than her contract called for. The ordinance approving Curp and granting the severance were together in one ordinance, and one vote.

Curp's contract calls for him to be paid $265,000 a year. If he's terminated before a permanent city manager is selected, Curp will receive six months of severance ($132,565), plus accrued sick time.

If Curp stays on with the city in any job – he was city solicitor under former Mayor Mark Mallory – he will be paid at 75% of the city manager pay, which is $200,000. His pay must be guaranteed for at least two and half years.

Pureval, who drew up the contract, said, "I think it is fair, it is just and consistent with past precedent."

He added, "Frankly, we are lucky John Curp agreed to serve again." Several council members pointed they heard good things about Curp's leadership as solicitor, returning that office to prominence in the community.

Curp, during the committee meeting, answered questions from the council members in what seemed like a de facto public job interview

He said he takes a personal approach to the job and his belief is that the manager should bring out the best in employees. He did not commit to firing or hiring anyone when directly asked.

Curp also said he is aware of the gravity of the job. There are pandemic-related decisions that need to be made and a police chief to be selected with the impending retirement of Police Chief Eliot Isaac in the first quarter of the year.

"This is one of the most important decision this community makes," Curp said of the chief. The search, he added, "needs to be more robust than ever."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Councilmembers support Curp as interim city manager