Assistant City Manager Appointed in Winchester
By: Hayley Mason
Updated: February 6, 2013
WINCHESTER, VA - City Manager Dale Iman says it is time to re-instate the Assistant City Manager position after about two years of vacancy.
"We're moving forward, and we're moving forward aggressively," Iman says. "To do that, I think we need to have additional management, staff on board."
Iman has appointed his former Fayetteville, North Carolina assistant, Doug Hewett to do the job. WHAG spoke with Hewett on the phone from Florida.
"The city has a very ambitious strategic plan that focuses on everything from revitalization, to economic development, to increased recreational opportunities," Hewett says. "I'm really looking forward to coming to Winchester and working with the city manager and city council and staff."
"His personality is such that he will be able to sit down and talk with people," says Iman. "Talk through issues and come up with solutions that solve problems, not just identify problems."
Hewett comes to Winchester on a road to redemption, following a few problems of his own.
After years as Assistant City Manager in Fayetteville, North Carolina, he started a new City Manager position in Hollywood, Florida, but was arrested for DUI, after only a couple months on the job. Hewett says he regrets the poor judgment that called his 16 years of service into question.
"Since that time I have grown a lot personally," Hewett says. "It has been a very difficult year, but I am looking forward to getting back in the swing of work and serving the public. Something that I have done tirelessly, all of my career."
"I can tell you it's not a part of his personality that will repeat itself. I'm risking my reputation on that fact," Iman says.
In 2011, Hewett completed the Executive Education Fellowship at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He is scheduled to start on February 18th, with five city directors reporting to his office. He says he's currently working on relocating and is excited about the move.
