BROOKVILLE CITY MANAGER RESIGNS; IT’S UNCLEAR WHY
Burkholder to get four months’ pay; annual salary has been $95K.
Brookville officials confirmed Wednesday that City Manager Gary Burkholder resigned Tuesday night during the council meeting after reaching a termination agreement that will pay him for the next four months.
Burkholder’s abrupt resignation was the second turned in by a Montgomery County city manager in as many days. Moraine’s Bryan Chodkowski resigned Monday night.
Burkholder’s resignation went into immediate effect. He had been city manager for more than three years.
It is unclear why Burkholder resigned. The agreement said neither party would comment to the news media or on social media about his departure. The city also promised to provide a neutral reference to potential employers for Burkholder.
Sonja Keaton, director of finance, will be acting city manager until the city decides the steps it will take with the position. She was in meetings Wednesday and not immediately available for an interview.
Brookville and Burkholder agreed to what is listed as his voluntary resignation and the termination of employment agreement, both of which were obtained by the Dayton Daily News using public record laws.
City officials did not answer questions about how much the severance pay would amount to. Burkholder’s initial contract, signed in 2015, paid him $95,000 per year.
In addition to the pay, he will receive full benefits that include insurance for those four months, according to city documents.
“Thank you to the mayor, and the council, and the community,” Burkholder said at the council meeting. “It’s been a great opportunity, and I have enjoyed every day of it.”
Burkholder came to the city in 2015 after John Wright, the former city manager, retired. Wright spent 46 years working for the city. He took over as city manager in 1981 when his father retired.
“I appreciate your hard work
and effort and everything you have done for this community,” said Brookville Mayor David Seagraves at the council meeting. “And I appreciate you doing a lot of the hard grunt work that had to get done.”
Burkholder left his position as city administrator for the village of Hartford, located in the northwest corner of Licking County.
He is a native of Beaverdam Village in Allen County. His resume includes a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a master’s of sociology from Bowling Green State University. He is also a former Pickerington city councilman and Etna Township trustee.