Fort Thomas City Administrator Ron Dill announced he will retire from the city later this spring. (photo: FTM file)

by Robin Gee

Fort Thomas City Administrator Ron Dill announced his retirement at the January city council meeting. Dill, who has been with the city for 36 years, said he plans to retire this spring.

Dill joined the city as an intern in 1985 and became the city’s director of building services in 1997, assistant city administrator and general services director in 2002 and has been city administrator since 2015.
 

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“I have been fortunate to have great opportunities to extend my career with the city,” Dill said. “I was able to expand my duties and meet new challenges in different positions of responsibility over many years. I have worked with so many talented and dedicated coworkers over this time, and it will be difficult to no longer get to work with them every day. We have accomplished so much together during this time, and I am very proud of them.” 

Among his accomplishments over the years, Dill said he was particularly proud of the work by the city and the entire community on the Comprehensive Community Plan. Since that time, he has led several projects to put the plan into action in city parks, streets, business districts and most recently repairs and remodeling to the city building. 

 

“There are a few projects I’d like to see through before I exit
stage left completely,” Dill said. “The city building is certainly one of those. I’ve
been reporting to that building for over 35 years. I won’t actually get
to work in that building, but that’s okay. It’s going to be a great
facility, and I look forward to it for our staff and community.” 

Dill met regularly with committees formed with staff and community members to work on the city’s community plan and many other projects over his tenure as city administrator. FTM file. 

 

“It is satisfying to reflect on the many worthwhile projects that were
completed and will last a lifetime in this community,” he continued. “My love for the
city of Fort Thomas runs very deep so it is bittersweet to finish this
chapter of my life. I will miss being a part of the operations of the
city every day, but I am looking forward to experiencing what is next
for me. The Fort Thomas community has always been supportive to me and
my family and we are grateful to call it our home.”

Council member Ben Pendery, said, “Connie [Grubbs] and I are the two new members on council joining last year. I’m very happy for Ron, but this one hurts a lot for me. I just want the community to know what I didn’t recognize before I came to council was the amount of work he puts in, tirelessly. His work ethic, his demeanor and the amount of care he gives to this city is second to none. Anytime any of us on council has questions, want to talk something through, Ron’s always here with so much information, dedication. Selfishly, I am going to miss Ron a lot but I look forward to the next stage for him, and I’m excited for him. As a community we have been so blessed to have him.”

The sentiment was echoed by all the council members present.  

“It is difficult to convey the full magnitude of the impact that Ron has on our city,” said Mayor Eric Haas. “He is ingrained in our community, in so many ways, which made him an extremely effective leader. Aside from taking on every challenge over a remarkable career, his vision and leadership in his current role is evident throughout our community. He has led us through the adoption of a Community Plan and its implementation that is unparalleled in the history of our city. It has been an absolute pleasure partnering with him in achieving completion of so many noteworthy projects during his tenure. He has earned the respect of our elected officials, our staff and our residents. He will be missed by all of us.”

What’s next for Ron Dill? He has accepted a position as general manager at Woodson Bend Resort near Lake Cumberland.

Haas said now the process will begin to find a replacement, but he is happy that the city will have Dill until late spring. 

“It is a testament to Ron’s commitment to the city that he wants to stay long enough to complete important projects, like the city building renovation before he retires. We will transition from his leadership at that time and find a qualified person to continue our progress.”