Greg Holcomb Appointed New City Manager
At Tuesday’s meeting, Council unanimously voted to appoint Greg Holcomb as city manager and approve an employment agreement. Holcomb was selected through an extensive search process that involved a Cincinnati-based recruiting firm. Oberlin has been without a permanent city manager since May 2024, when former City Manager Rob Hillard resigned. During this time, City Law Director Jon Clark served as interim city manager.
Holcomb, who has a master’s degree in Public Administration from Cleveland State University, comes to Oberlin from Colmar Manor, MD, a small suburban town bordering Washington, D.C., where Holcomb was a town administrator. He has had a two decade-long career in business and government management. Under the contract agreement, he will make a base salary of $150,000.
City Enters Settlements with Opioid Companies
On Aug. 18, Council voted unanimously to join a settlement agreement with Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the painkiller OxyContin, regarding the company’s role in the opioid epidemic. Forty-nine states, D.C., and five U.S. territories have already agreed to the $7.4 billion payout from the pharmaceutical company and the Sackler family that owns it. Participating in the agreement allows the City of Oberlin to receive some of the $40 million in funds going to Ohio localities for addiction prevention and treatment programs.
This Tuesday, Council voted to enter into a similar multi-state settlement with eight other opioid manufacturers. These opioid manufacturers will pay out $720 million to state and local governments across the country. The settlement also imposes certain restrictions on the promotion and distribution of opioids.
Council Passes Resolution Against Conversion Therapy
On July 7, Council unanimously voted to condemn conversion therapy, which is defined in the resolution as “practices or treatments by licensed mental health professionals that seek to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” The resolution cites the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatric Medicine, and the American Medical Association, all of which have discredited the practice, and notes that youth who undergo conversion therapy are at higher risk of mental health issues.
The resolution does not ban conversion therapy as over 20 states and many municipalities including nearby Cleveland and Lorain have done. However, Councilmembers Joe Waltzer and López expressed interest in passing an ordinance banning conversion therapy, with López saying that he has already been working with organizations to draft legislation on the matter.
Green Acres Development Committee Discusses Progress
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Council heard an update about the work of the Green Acres Development Committee. The Green Acres Development Committee was formed in spring 2024 to plan the development of a 15-acre lot owned by the City into single-family homes and a public park. Interim City Manager Jon Clark told Council that the committee had interviewed two builders, neither of whom they deemed acceptable. He said the committee recommends that Council move forward with infrastructure development in order to accommodate the construction of initial houses. Councilmember Ray English, a member of the committee, agreed that the committee wants to see the project move forward, adding that he supports a preliminary focus on utility connections before moving to the groundwork that would need to be done before building begins.
Social Equity Plan Implementation Committee
On July 7, Council unanimously approved the creation of a Social Equity Plan Implementation Committee. The Implementation Committee will track the progress of the Social Equity Plan, which was first envisioned after national unrest in 2020 and was passed by Council last May. The plan is a broad framework for making the City more equitable, increasing affordable housing, improving community-based policing, and expanding educational opportunities in Oberlin Schools. The Committee will be composed of seven members, each who will serve for two years: AG Miller, a local pastor and affordable housing advocate; Sondra Miller of the Oberlin Community Improvement Corporation; Ralph Thompson, a member of the community and Climate Action Plan Steering Committee; Kathy Burns, member of the Oberlin Kids Committee and client services coordinator at Oberlin Community Services; Ian Yarber, director of City Recreation; Lachelle Woods, director of nursing at Mercy Health – Allen Hospital and national mental health advocate; and Councilmember Libni López, known for his work with the City’s LGBTQ+ and immigrant populations.
