Hillsboro building inspector Jason Daniel has been named city administrator.
The Hillsboro Board of Alderpersons voted unanimously during a closed meeting on Monday to promote Daniel to the position, which has been vacant since April when Jesse Wallis resigned.
Since then, City Clerk Elizabeth Vreeland had been serving as interim city administrator, and Daniel had been the interim assistant city administrator.
Daniel, 49, of Hillsboro has been the city’s building inspector for the past four years, and he will continue working in that role, as well as city administrator, until a new building inspector is hired.
As building inspector, Daniel was paid $28.28 an hour, which was bumped up to $38.58 per hour when he became interim assistant city administrator. As city administrator, Daniel will be making an annual salary of $78,000, which is $7,654 less than the previous city administrator’s salary of $85,654.
Hillsboro Mayor Buddy Russell said Daniel was chosen from about 12 candidates for the city administrator job.
“The reason we decided to go with him was because he’s a local who lives in the city of Hillsboro. He’s got kids who go to school in the district. His heart is in the city, and he feels like I do about growing the city of Hillsboro with businesses and homes – just growth in general.”
Daniel, who has lived in Hillsboro for 18 years, said he hadn’t planned to apply for the city administrator job, but after discussing the possibility with his wife, Kristen, and the couple’s three children, Sophia, Cole and Savanna Rose, he decided to throw his hat in the ring.
“When you get put in the (building inspector) position, you’re normally here until you retire,” he said. “It wasn’t something that I thought about, but I’ve got one daughter who is getting ready to graduate and go off to college. My other one’s in high school, so the (city administrator) position might never come up again. I thought, ‘Now would be the time.’ I was very grateful and truly honored whenever they voted me in.”
Daniel believes his experience as the building inspector, his involvement in various civic organizations and his familiarity with the business community also will help him make a smooth transition into his new job.
“I serve on the board for the Hillsboro chamber, and I’m on the Park Board as well. As building inspector, I got to work with all the businesses that were coming into town. I got to know them personally, and the transition of the mom-and-pop retails. We have one grocery store in town. Essential goods are a necessity for us, but with inflation right now, it’s a struggle for everybody, even me.”
Russell said he was happy to promote from within and described the decision to hire Daniel as a “no-brainer.”
“I mean, there’s no better person,” he said.
Daniel said he is confident his relationship with city personnel will reduce the time it takes to become productive in his new role.
“We’ve got director of Public Works Tim Adams, who oversees the sewer, water, Public Works, the street and everything else. [City Clerk] Beth Vreeland has many years of experience.
“So, it made it an easier transition for me because the department heads are all supportive and we all have a direction and goal we want to get to.”
Daniel is also confident that it will be an easier transition for the community because he is already a familiar face.
“They can come talk to you about their concerns,” he said. “And trust me, the phone calls still come in.”
Daniel said one of his priorities as city administrator will be economic development.
“It’s really to see a big impact in the economic development of the small town of Hillsboro because it’s a unique town. Being the county seat, we don’t generate a lot of revenue. That’s no secret to anybody. What we’ve got going right now and the projects that we have in place, it’s a healthier, safer and better lifestyle that we’re trying to accomplish in Hillsboro.
“Our master plan has not been updated since 2005. It’s almost 20 years now, so that’s probably one of the first things we will work on. Now, don’t think it’s going to happen in a year, but we will get the committees together, get the strategic plan laid out in the first years and know where we want to be, so we have a plan and goal to get there. It’s just implementing that plan to get there and make sure we cross those hurdles when they come up.”
Hillsboro officials are also looking to hire a new police chief to replace Steve Meinberg, who plans to retire next month.
Russell said city officials plan to promote someone from the police force to fill that vacancy.