Hamp, deal good for city

Mike Hamp fulfilled expectation Tuesday, ascending to the city manager’s job left vacant by Doug Walker. The City Council voted 4-0 to appoint Hamp after he had held the position in an interim capacity for roughly three months. It was the council’s second appointment without opposition in slightly more than three weeks – Todd Patrick was unanimously selected Sept. 8 to replace Robert Lunger as city attorney.

On the heels of Walker’s exit, Hamp emerged as the frontrunner for his former boss’ job, winning favor from the conservative council bloc of Mayor Tim Williams, Vice Mayor Frank Lucente and first-term Councilman Bruce Allen, along with that group’s onetime foes, councilwomen Nancy Dowdy and Lorie Smith. Walker was regarded by the conservative trio as knowledgeable but politically aligned with the minority duo, which promptly issued forecasts of gloom upon learning that the administrator had tendered his resignation.

Hamp assuages the minority’s anguish while sating the majority’s appetite for distance from Walker. Hamp worked closely with Walker during the latter’s five years in the city manager’s office. But Hamp also preceded Walker, having worked as assistant city manager for 12 years. In addition, Hamp carries an important credential — he is a lifelong resident of Waynesboro.

Another benefit: Hamp’s contract will represent a significiant deviation from Walker’s and from standard deals signed by many city managers. His severance pay on a current salary of $115,000 would cover three months instead of the six paid Walker. The International City/County Management Association, a government leadership and management group, recommends that top administrators seek one year of severance. Hamp also would receive accrued pay for unused vacation time, standard for Waynesboro city employees. He would pick up no other benefits.

Slashing the severance in half and eliminating unused sick time and the $3,000 car allowance paid Walker would have reduced his $128,437 final payout by almost half to roughly $67,000. To Lucente’s thinking, Walker drifted out of city hall on a golden parachute in the form of a going-away check that paid him more than his annual salary of $125,000. The vice mayor pledged then to apply his business expertise in crafting a better deal for the city next time. We seconded the emotion but doubted his chances, unless the council determined to settle for an administrator of dubious qualifications.

Hamp evinces no doubts on the subject of credentials. His experience both in city government and as a man who has spent all of his 41 years in Waynesboro give him the look of an ideal candidate. On the point of a new city manager’s contract, Lucente in June issued a conservative challenge to the government status quo, which provides politically appointed administrators with fat severance deals that cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars every time relations sour or more lucrative opportunities arise.

The details of Hamp’s deal show chinks in the standard practice. When we questioned the feasibility of Lucente’s fiscal idealism earlier this year, we said we would be pleased for him to feed us our words. And so we eat. When sound thinking and government norms clash, the former ordinarily feasts while rationality perishes. Today, we savor an anomaly which we hope will ripen into a trend.