New city manager answers questions about issues in city of Oak Ridge
While Randy Hemann has yet to take over as Oak Ridge city manager, he’s given his views on many Oak Ridge issues.
Hemann and fellow city manager candidate Aretha Ferral-Benavites responded to questions and mingled with the public at a forum on Wednesday, Aug. 16, at Oak Ridge High School.
Hemann’s comments gave a preview of how he might approach running the city.
“What surprised me was the great sense of place and the people,” Hemann said of Oak Ridge, praising the research done there along with its trails and quality of life. He said he expected to do “a lot of listening and learning” in his first six months.
“It is important, I think, for a manager to know and understand the community,” he said.
Hemann compared his work on developing the downtown in High Point and Mooresville, North Carolina, to the challenges of commercial development in Oak Ridge.
City officials have wanted to make the area around Wilson Street, which runs near the former Oak Ridge Mall and Main Street Oak Ridge, into a “downtown” type development. Hemann listed his work promoting downtown Salisbury, North Carolina, with Downtown Salisbury Inc. as his greatest accomplishment.
Oak Ridge has also been working on updating roads and water and sewer infrastructure, and will likely continue to do so under Hemann.
“You’ve got to invest in those things, and you’ve got to do it over a period of time so that you don’t fall behind with your investments,” he said.
In response to a question about a new fire station, Hemann said he worked on building a new fire training center in Mooresville and could use that experience.
In response to a question on when to remove books from Oak Ridge Library, he said in Mooresville a committee addressed whether to remove books, but he said sometimes it is sufficient to just put a book in a different section.
“That’s a touchy subject, but I’d just like to say that you’ve got to address that diplomatically, and usually a committee to look at that is an appropriate way to do it and make those decisions,” he said.
He said citizens’ police academies were good ways to increase understanding between the public and police, particularly adding sympathy for how police make decisions.
Regarding getting state funding for repairs to roads, he said he would argue for them by saying how many people commuted on them. He said sometimes cities need to use their own resources, however, “when push comes to shove.”
Regarding retaining city employees, he said the city needs to look at the labor market and respect its workers. On one matter he was clear: “You have got to pay people a living wage,” he said.
