Covington’s city manager has resigned, the city confirmed to LINK nky on Monday.
Ken Smith has been city manager since 2021 after having served in the position on an interim basis for 13 weeks prior.
“City Manager Ken Smith submitted his resignation this morning,” reads a statement from the city. “The decision was his own, and the city is grateful for his service during his tenure.”
Voters decided in November to approve the conversion of Covington’s government from a city manager form of government to mayor-council.
Under a city manager form of government, Smith, or whoever holds the role, manages most of the day-to-day business of the city and its departments. The four elected commissioners and the mayor appoint the city manager.
According to the current model, both the commissioners and the mayor have a vote in local policies. Mayors are responsible for running meetings, signing contracts and acting as the public face of the city, but they share executive and legislative power with the commissioners.
But under the mayor-council form of government, the mayor has more authority to hire and fire city workers, unlike the current system, where every personnel decision is subject to a vote from the commission.
In December, the city passed an ordinance to delegate new duties to the mayor during the transition from the city manager form of government to mayor-council.
Specifically, the ordinance aims “to enhance communications between it and the City’s Administration Department in order to increase government efficiency and to better prepare for the transition to the mayor-council form of government, delegates to the Mayor the necessary authority to inquire into the conduct of duties and actions performed by the City Manager between meetings of the Board of Commissioners.”
It also states that the “Mayor shall be recognized as the official head and representative of the city for all purposes. Such recognition shall not, however, include any duties considered an unauthorized delegation of executive or legislative authority from the board of commissioners.”
In other words, the mayor will serve as the city’s official head insofar as it does not interfere with the commission’s typical legislative and executive powers.