news-record.com

When Rashad Young was installed as city manager in Dayton, Ohio, in December 2006, Mayor Rhine McLin declared the occasion a "celebration of youth." Young was 30 years old.

He's still only 33 and, if the Greensboro City Council confirms its preliminary decision, he will be named the city manager here Tuesday.

A celebration of youth shouldn't be unwelcome here, either. The median age of Greensboro residents is 33, the same as Young's, according to census data. That's two years younger than the North Carolina median. So Greensboro ought to promote youthful leaders.

Young's other obviously distinctive characteristic is race. He would become Greensboro's first black city manager. That may invite varying reactions given the city's racially tinged controversies lately, but he follows enough other elected or appointed black leaders in Guilford County that, while noteworthy, his race should not be an issue for long.

Age and race aside, a substantial majority of City Council members found Young to be the best, by far, in a field of more than 100 candidates. "We were just extremely impressed," Mayor Yvonne Johnson said. The same must have been true in Dayton when commissioners elevated such a young man to the city's chief executive position.

It's regrettable, however, that the Greensboro council didn't give residents here the opportunity to draw that conclusion for themselves by presenting finalists in a public setting where people could ask questions and hear top candidates talk about their experience and vision for local government.

Young will have to sell himself to Greensboro after he takes office, which will require time and hard work. One of the first people he should consult is Guilford County Schools Superintendent Maurice "Mo" Green, whose "Mo Wants to Know" tour last year not only won over skeptics, but helped him gather ideas for a new strategic plan. Because Young has spent nearly his entire life in his hometown of Dayton, he'll face a steep learning curve. But what he does know, supporters say, is how to run a municipal government, excite employees and work collaboratively with elected leaders.

The new manager will need clear direction, goals and measures from the City Council. "I have high standards and like to hold people accountable," Young said of his own managerial style. He should expect the council to deal with him in the same way.

For now, residents should trust that their elected representatives have made a good selection. "He will win people over," Councilman Zack Matheny predicted. With the firing of former manager Mitch Johnson still a sore memory for many, that would merit a celebration.