By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon
May 10, 2008 02:30 am
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CONNEAUT — There were plenty of successes during the four years Douglas Lewis served as Conneaut’s city manager, he said Friday.
Pending development at Conneaut’s Interstate 90 interchange, restoration of the Cleveland Hotel and other projects were personal and professional highlights, he said.
Lewis took a break from packing up his City Hall office to reflect on his tenure as the town’s third city manager. He is leaving to become assistant city manager in Painesville.
Lewis is technically still on the job until Friday, but is using accrued vacation time until his official departure.
Over the past few days Lewis has been busy preparing for the arrival of Ed Somppi, the new interim city manager.
“I don’t want to leave Ed with a ton of things to do,” Lewis said. “I’ve filled him in on projects we’re working on. And if he has any questions, I’m only 45 minutes away.”
He came to Conneaut from Florida in May 2004 to succeed Tim Hansley who worked as the city’s top administrator only 18 months. Soon after his arrival, Lewis said he set his sights on the I-90 interchange, which he felt was woefully ignored by developers.
“No one had capitalized on the interstate,” he said.
Eventually, Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores expressed interest in building one of its fueling stations at the site, but clearing the path wasn’t easy. Lewis and others spent more than two years releasing the state’s grip on interchange access and overcoming wetlands issues.
Lewis said he relished the I-90 project. “Challenges like that brought me here,” he said.
Lewis also is proud of his involvement in the Cleveland Hotel restoration project. Developers have created condominiums and business space inside a once-vacant, dilapidated building.
“Down the road, (the hotel) will be a tremendous benefit to the community,” he said.
Other plusses include efforts to rejuvenate and stimulate the East Conneaut Industrial Park with infrastructure upgrades, and the more than $4 million in grants the city netted during his stay, Lewis said.
Lewis also addressed the uneasy atmosphere in local government the past several months and the criticism aimed his way. In January, Ward 1 Councilman Dave Campbell launched an inquiry into aspects of Lewis’ performance. The shift in attitude played a role in Lewis’ decision to leave, he said.
“What’s going on in government right now is detrimental to the entire community,” Lewis said. “There are ways to disagree without being controversial. I have no problem with questions and concerns on projects I’ve worked on. But when I get bogged down in details for things and requests for information, I can’t focus on the important things. I’m dealing with things that are not important.
“That’s what told me it was time to leave,” he said.
The good memories definitely outnumber the not-so-good, Lewis said.
“I’ll remember most the people,” he said. “That’s the toughest part of leaving. I’ve met a lot of good people while working on development and working for the city.”
Lewis eventually plans to move to Painesville, but for the next several months will remain a Conneaut resident.
“I still want to be involved in the community, and we’ll always have (family) ties to Conneaut,” he said. Lewis married a city girl, Meghan Howe, in August.
Conneaut remains a city on the brink of success, Lewis said.
“There’s a high quality of life here,” he said. “It has a lot of potential. It’s a matter of overcoming challenges. There’s tremendous opportunity here.”
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