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GREENSBORO — Rashad Young may be short on years, but not on experience.

At 33, he manages a city of 2,400 employees. He has wrangled with Dayton, Ohio’s $13 million budget deficit. He faced down the U.S. Department of Justice’s scrutiny of Dayton’s hiring.

And he’s expected to add another job to his resume: Greensboro city manager. Young will complete a deal with the City Council on Tuesday. He could be on the job as early as October.

Mayor Yvonne Johnson said a majority of the  council members agreed that Young was their top choice. They interviewed five finalists last week.

“We were just extremely impressed,” Johnson said of Young.

Neither Young nor City Council members have revealed what the new city manager will earn. But the salary package is a point of contention with Councilman Mike Barber, who said the council offered too much.

The job was advertised at $170,000 to $220,000. Young earns $145,700 in Dayton.

Young, who is married with two young sons, said he is as comfortable riding on the back of a dump truck as he is chatting up a CEO.

“I’m a very approachable kind of city manager,” Young said Thursday.

“I have high standards and like to hold people accountable.”

Young has led Dayton, with its 166,000 residents, since 2006. He also served as assistant city manager in Dayton and Cincinnati.

Johnson said Young is hard-working and works well with different kinds of people. Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin told her, “Your gain is our loss.”

Young will replace former City Manager Mitchell Johnson, who was fired by the City Council in March.

Young said he would help the council set a strategic direction for the city and would make sure the council makes informed policy decisions.

He said he would give all council members the same access to information and ensure they are treated fairly. Some council members have said the previous city manager didn’t freely share information with all members.

The new manager will come to Greensboro at a time of economic strife — an issue he has faced head-on in Dayton.

Young said business and city officials need to work together to develop the economy.

“It’s about really defining what the assets are, where the growth opportunities are,” he said. “It’s not going to be the big plant that is building a Chevy. The question is: What can we rally around?”

While in Dayton, Young also dealt with the U.S. Justice Department’s scrutiny of hiring practices and allegations of racial discrimination.

The Justice Department alleged that Dayton discriminated against African Americans in its screening process for firefighter and police officer candidates. Dayton resolved the complaints and settled the issue this year.

Greensboro was notified by the Justice Department this year that it is investigating minority hiring practices in the police and fire departments.

Young said the city needs to have clear expectations for employee behavior when it comes to racial issues.

He said the city should be open and transparent when resolving racial conflicts, so that people can have confidence in the process.

Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl, who worked with Young in Dayton and Cincinnati, said Young is not one to micromanage his staff as long as they are meeting his standards.

“He’s progressive. He clearly sets expectations, but he is not one to oversee, to scrutinize every decision or inject himself,” Biehl said. 

Some Greensboro council members had criticized the previous city manager for micromanaging.

Phil Parker, president and CEO of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, said Young thinks before he reacts. Parker said the city manager has matured since he took the job.

“He is very well perceived by the business community. He is very active. He is very accessible,” Parker said.

Young said he expects to spend time learning about Greensboro and working on staff morale. He said he has met bright and energetic staff members.

“I am really excited that I will be coming into a situation with a good team,” Young said.
 

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com