DUBOIS – It’s been roughly three years since the City of DuBois had a city manager. On Monday night, a familiar face to city constituents accepted an offer for the job, and council approved his hire.
Effective Dec. 28, Mayor John “Herm” Suplizio will step down as mayor and take on the role of city manager. Suplizio explained that the reason for the date was to close out the city’s budget year. He also added that this will give council time to find a replacement in the mayor’s office. He said it took so long to hire a manager because council wanted to make sure they did it right.
“It’s easy working with this council,” said Suplizio, who also noted that the city’s workforce is easy to work with as well.
Suplizio said that since the last city manager, the city has accomplished a number of needed projects. He also said the city saved over $300,000 by not having a manager. Suplizio said that due to the municipal code, the city is required to have a city manager.
While his salary was not immediately available following the meeting, council member Randy Schmidt said the city manager cannot make less than the highest paid city employee. He said there were about 20 initial candidates for the position.
Suplizio, who served for nearly 10 years as mayor, was praised by council members for his service in that position.
“You’ve done a really good job wearing all the hats you have,” said Dianne Bernardo. She commented on Suplizio’s good-naturedness and his work ethic.
“Mayor, you stepped up to the plate more than once.”