“I’m honored and humbled by the trust city council has placed in me,” Althouse said recently. “I am looking forward to contributing to the city’s success in this new role.”
City spokesman Rich Hopkins said it’s not yet clear who will take over as chief of police in Althouse’s absence.
“(W)e’re still very early in the process, and at this point we have not yet defined the process for naming a replacement for police chief,” Hopkins said.
Former Kettering City Manager Mark Schwieterman has been serving as Vandalia’s interim city manager since Wendt’s resignation in June. Council at that time authorized a separation agreement with Wendt that paid him just over $277,000 in severance pay. Wendt has since been hired as assistant city manager of West Carrollton.
The city began actively searching for a permanent replacement in September after entering into a $24,000 agreement with Management Advisory Group LLC for recruitment services.
Althouse was one of six candidates considered for the city’s highest leadership position, according to application documents obtained by Dayton Daily News.
Additional candidates included John Donnelly, who has worked as an engineer for Montgomery County and Tipp City; Redmond Jones, who was deputy city manager for Iowa City, Iowa; Randy Robertson, who was city manager for Aberdeen, Maryland; Jeffrey Tyler, assistant city manager for the city of Powell, near Columbus; and Drew Willison, a private-practice attorney.
City officials said Althouse proved himself to be best fit for the job.
“City council cast a wide net and looked closely at a number of candidates from both inside and outside the organization,” Hopkins said Thursday. “Kurt distinguished himself through the selection process as the clear choice as best candidate. Kurt is very familiar with the city’s operations and is comfortable working with staff at all levels of the organization.”
A native of Tipp City, Althouse spent 22 years at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office before joining Vandalia as a police lieutenant in October 2014. He was promoted to police chief in April 2018.
Althouse served as interim city manager for the city of Vandalia from June 2020 through January 2021 following the resignation of City Manager Jon Crusey.
“We are very excited to have someone with Kurt’s ability to step into this important role,” said Vandalia Mayor Richard Herbst. “Kurt is very familiar with city operations and we anticipate he will hit the ground running.”
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