After years in a sort of awkward limbo state, Ludlow finally has a new, full-time city administrator. However, the appointment did not come without controversy, as tensions flared both before and after the city council’s vote Thursday evening to award the job to the city’s former police chief, Scott Smith.
Disagreements ran hot enough, in fact, that one council member found himself in a back-and-forth with city staffers sitting in the gallery, and two other members were absent altogether.
“I have seen an overwhelming level of support for Scott Smith,” said Mayor Chris Wright in a standing-room-only Ludlow City Council chamber Thursday evening, reiterating comments he made to LINK nky earlier this week.
Wright nominated Smith – who became police chief in 2015 and began performing city administrative duties in 2019 – after what he described as “hundreds and hundreds of conversations and emails and text messages and phone calls” with city staff, Ludlow business owners and community members.
A large portion of those in attendance were city employees there to show support for Smith’s appointment.
“I appreciate that you let us [city council] participate [in the process] when you didn’t have to let us participate,” said council member Samantha Frank. According to the Ludlow statute, the mayor has the sole authority to nominate a candidate for city administrator, and the city council has the sole authority to approve or not approve the nomination.
A city administrator is not a requirement under Ludlow’s strong-mayor government, but the part-time status of Ludlow’s elected offices allows for it per their discretion.
Others in the room, though, called the level of community engagement into question. During public comment, three residents stood to say they did not feel like they were engaged in the process.
Smith received three of the council’s six votes in favor of his appointment from members Stephen Chapman, Samantha Frank and Julie Terre Navarre. Council member David Ziegler was opposed, and members Lori Davenport and Abigail Miller did not attend.
“The community has had very little input in this process,” Ziegler said, aiming his comments directly at Wright. “If nothing else, this should be tabled. You need to have a forum where people can come and express their opinions.”
Ziegler went on to accuse city staffers of trying to influence Wright’s decision because they knew and liked Smith—whom many have worked with for nearly a decade—and not because of his specific qualifications for the job.
“You all tried to pick your boss, and that’s not right,” he said, to which numerous members of the audience audibly scoffed in disagreement.
In addition to the “hundreds and hundreds of conversations” he mentioned, Wright also pointed to his monthly “Coffee with the Mayor” sessions at Ludlow Coffee as additional opportunities for residents to engage him about the process.
The city administrator’s office – which not only oversees day-to-day operations but also plays a critical role in attracting economic development opportunities to Ludlow – is one that’s been steeped in controversy in recent years.
In 2019, then-Mayor Josh Boone abruptly fired city administrator Elishia Chamberlain, along with the city attorney, amidst a tense budgetary shortfall and criticism from council members at the time, according to previous reporting by The Cincinnati Enquirer before LINK nky was launched. Boone appointed Smith – who holds a master’s degree in public administration – as acting city administrator, duties for which he received a stipend on top of his pay as police chief.
Wright said he saw the solution at the time as a cost-saving measure, as Smith’s stipend did not equate to a full-time salary.
The city operated under this arrangement until earlier this year when some on the council expressed misgivings over Smith holding two non-elected positions simultaneously.
In the spring, Davenport contacted the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office to inquire about the situation’s legality under state law. This triggered the AG’s office to open an investigation, which, in turn, prompted Smith to resign from the additional administrative duties. Smith’s quick return to exclusively police work ended the investigation before the AG could make a determination one way or another.
Wright said before Thursday’s vote that he “freely admit(ted Smith’s hiring) was not the smoothest process of all time. It has been a learning process, and it’s a decision I hope we won’t have to make again for some time.”
Like the weeks leading up to Chamberlain’s firing, Smith’s appointment – for which he formally applied after resigning as police chief in September – became a frequent topic among candidates for this year’s Ludlow City Council election.
“We need to bring somebody in here that knows how to attract these businesses,” Ziegler said at a candidate forum in October, “somebody that’s professional and has worked with people outside of the community and worked with the stakeholders here in town to bring some development.”
Chapman, who voted in favor of Smith’s appointment, said, “through the interview process, (he) came to the conclusion that (Smith) was the most qualified for the position.”
“Scott has proven himself to this city,” Frank said. “I hope we can let go of this pettiness that some members who did not show up tonight have against him.”
LINK nky could not confirm by the time of this report why Davenport and Miller were not in attendance, but Davenport told LINK nky after a closed-door session called Monday that she was disappointed Wright seemed ready to recommend Smith, despite seeming to have settled on another candidate just days prior.
It is common practice for legislatures to enter private sessions when discussing hiring or other personnel matters.
One of the final comments before Wright called Thursday’s vote, Ziegler said, “I’m happy to go ahead with this vote so we can open a new investigation. There will be an investigation on several fronts.”
As for the man at the center of it all? LINK nky spoke with Smith after Thursday’s meeting, who said he was expecting a heated discussion.
“There’s a couple council members that, for whatever reason, have a personal hatred for me,” Smith said Thursday. “I don’t know why, nobody does. It’s not on my agenda… I’m just going to keep doing my job.”
Nathan Granger also contributed reporting to this story.