MORGANTOWN — During his time with the city, Damien Davis has worked under a couple different titles.
Starting in 2008, he was “city engineer.” In 2021, he became “director of engineering and public works.”
Now it appears he’ll add “acting city manager” to that list.
Included on the agenda for Tuesday’s Morgantown City Council meeting is a resolution appointing Davis as the city’s next chief executive, albeit temporarily.
If approved by council, he’ll take over the top spot on Dec. 21 – the day after current City Manager Kim Haws’ retirement begins – and serve as manager until a permanent city manager is hired and begins employment.
Communications Director Brad Riffee said city administration is endorsing Davis for the role based on his “vast knowledge of municipality operations and experience.”
“Davis has been with the City of Morgantown for over 15 years. His detailed understanding of each department, including major city projects, will undoubtedly help move Morgantown forward while Council conducts its candidate search for the next city manager,” Riffee said.
On Dec. 3, Morgantown City Council approved a contract with North Carolina-based Raftelis to conduct a months-long national recruitment effort to fill the opening.
As previously reported, Haws’ retirement comes as Assistant City Manager Emily Muzzarelli prepares for an extended leave, forcing council to appoint “a qualified city administrative officer” to serve as interim manager.
Haws came to Morgantown in December 2020. He announced his plan to retire in September. The city confirmed the Dec. 20 departure date earlier this month, noting Haws will leave with nearly 40 years in municipal government.
Also on Tuesday’s agenda, council will decide whether or not it wants to put a charter change pertaining to city manager residency requirements before the city’s voters in April.
Currently, the charter says the city manager doesn’t have to be a city resident at the time of appointment, but “must reside in the city while in office.”
Under the proposed change, the manager “may reside outside the City while in office only with the approval of Council.”
Council approved the amendment 6-1 on first reading on Oct. 1. It was more than a month before the ordinance came back for a second read. When it did, it passed 4-3.
However, because a single qualified city voter filed a written objection, state code mandates council either abandon the proposed change or place it before the city’s voters.
The manager residency requirement became a topic of conversation in November 2020 when city council looked into “concerns” about whether Haws was living in Morgantown.
A short time later, it was explained guidelines had been added to Haws’ contract spelling out the city’s expectations regarding residency.
Muzzarelli, who’s been the assistant city manager since June 2018, served as interim manager during the search that resulted in Haws’ hiring.
She is not currently a resident of the city. The city’s charter does not include residency requirements for the assistant city manager.
