Hogansville to name city manager on Monday
Published 6:14 pm Thursday, September 14, 2017
Hogansville has picked its next city manager and has finalized a deal with that individual, according to Mayor Bill Stankiewicz.
Stankiewicz didn’t specify which candidate the council has selected, but said the vote will take place Monday at the city council meeting. The final candidates are David Ashburn, Corey Lamont Alston and David Alan Milliron. Stankiewicz said the council has had a top candidate from the very beginning and is pleased with how the process has worked out.
The chosen candidate’s first day will be Monday, September 25.
“We released three names but there was never any doubt who the candidate we wanted was,” Stankiewicz said. “We had a No. 1 pick all along.”
Stankiewicz has served as Hogansville’s city manager since May 18, when the council relieved former city manager James Woods of his duties. The mayor said they were looking for a candidate with excellent management skills, an ability to communicate well with the council, mayor and public and someone with people skills that can lead a diverse group of employees.
All three of the candidates were let go from their most recent positions, but Stankiewicz said that’s not uncommon for a city manager.
“That’s true of virtually every city manager in the state of Georgia, except for five or 10 notable exceptions out of 600,” Stankiewicz said.
Stankiewicz also commented on Alston, who has a criminal history. He said every candidate went through a full background check and all final candidates passed that final check.
“I was a little disappointed that didn’t come up earlier,” Stankiewicz said.
Here’s a look at the final candidates for the Hogansville City Manager position:
David Ashburn
Ashburn served as the Walker County Water and Sewer Authority General Manager from 2004-2017. According to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, he was fired in June. The Times Free Press story said the water authority was on pace to lose around $1 million dollars this year.
Ashburn has also previously served as Walker County’s Coordinator, police chief, 911 director, director of codes enforcement and building inspection and emergency services director, among many other positions.
He has a master’s degree in public administration from Command College Columbus State.
Corey Lamont Alston
Alston pled guilty to grand theft and corrupt misuse of an official position and was fired as South Bay, Florida city manager in 2013, according to the Palm Beach Post. Alston was released from house arrest in March 2015, but was to remain on probation for five more years as part of his plea deal, according to the Post.
He was city manager of South Bay from 2009-2012. He served as president of Florida A&M’s University Foundation from 2009-2012 and is the president of the Alston Group, an urban development and advisory firm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
He has a doctorate degree in theology from Midwest Theological University in St. Louis, Missouri, earned his MBA from Northwestern University and has a master of science in finance from Florida A&M University.
David Alan Milliron
Milliron served as the city manager of Villa Rica from May 2015-February 2017. According to the Times-Georgian in Carrollton, Milliron was let go in February of this year for reasons that are “not clear.”
He’s also previously served as the city manager for Stockbridge, the treasurer and financial officer of Strockbridge and the president and executive director of the Dekalb Municipal Association.
He has a master’s of public administration, city manager track, from The Graduate School at Valdosta State University. He also has earned several certifications on finance and management.
He was one of two finalists announced for the Monroe city administrator in March, according to the Walton Tribune.