CINCINNATI – After a national search, Mayor Aftab Pureval has selected a longtime city employee as his preferred choice to serve as Cincinnati’s next city manager.

The first-term mayor announced Friday that he chose Assistant City Manager Sheryl Long to assume the administrative and executive duties of Cincinnati’s city government. 

A vote on Long’s appointment is set for a special session of City Council on Thursday, Sept. 1. If approved, she’ll take over the job effective immediately, Pureval said.

“I am confident in Sheryl Long’s ability to lead our City with tenacity, transparency, compassion and sound judgment,” the mayor said in a statement.

Sheryl Long. (Photo Courtesy of City of Cincinnati)

“She has a proven track record of outstanding managerial and interpersonal skills, working in public service for more than a decade and successfully overseeing thousands of City employees in her role as Assistant City Manager,” he added. “She is a leader who I know will further our goals of making Cincinnati a vibrant, equitable place for all to grow and thrive.”

Pureval announced Long and interim City Manager John Curp as the finalists for the city manager position on Aug. 17. They were among five people to interview for the positions after what the city described as a months-long national search.

When all invoices are paid, the city will have paid executive search firm Polihire about $40,000, Pureval said.

The mayor said ultimate the decision between Curp and Long came down to Long being “the best candidate for the job.”

“(Sheryl) has had a really fast rise from North College Hill to now the next city manager of Cincinnati, and that's due entirely to her extraordinary talent, her work ethic, her ability to get things done,” Pureval said. “I have complete confidence that she will execute on the strategic vision that the council and I put forth.”

Following her announcement as a finalist, Long responded to a request for comment on her nomination as a finalist.

”I would be extremely honored to serve the people of Cincinnati as the next city manager,” Long wrote in a written statement on Aug. 17. “I am proud to work with the City’s talented complement of dedicated public servants and, if selected as city manager, I will strive to provide the stable leadership and consistent vision our employees need to be successful.”

Long has served as assistant city manager since April 7, 2019. In that role, she worked closely with several city departments and offices, including Public Services, Citizen Complaint Authority, Emergency Communications Center, Environment and Sustainability, Transportation and Engineering. She also works with the city’s two utilities, the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati and Greater Cincinnati Water Works, and acted as the liaison to the Cincinnati Health Department.

Dozens of city employees and community leaders attended the formal announcement of Sheryl Long as Cincinnati's next city manager. Here, Long is being introduced by Mayor Aftab Pureval as members of her family look on. (Casey Weldon/Spectrum News 1)

She also worked with a number of resident groups, nonprofits and community agencies over the years.

On Friday, she credited her time working for the city during the early stages of the pandemic as helping prepare her for the job of city manager. She also voiced a desire to make City Hall more accessible through enhanced community engagement. She noted a desire to send staff into the community to "really figure out from the people where we need to make improvements."

Pureval noted Long is "working with and in some ways leading" a year-long initiative through Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation to "pressure test" Cincinnati's existing community engagement efforts.

Prior to joining the city, Long served as city administrator for the City of North College Hill for over three years. From 2003 to 2013, she worked in marketing in the private sector, according to her biography on Cincinnati’s website.

Long holds a Bachelor of Arts from Miami University and a Master of Arts in Marketing from Southern New Hampshire University.

”Through my lived experience, I understand the issues our residents face on a daily basis and the importance of ensuring everyone has a voice in local government,” Long’s statement to Spectrum News read. “A guiding principle in my extensive career as a public administrator has always been to seek out diverse and equitable solutions to the challenges we face as a community. I welcome the opportunity to serve as city manager, working together with Mayor Aftab and his team, our elected officials, city staff and community leaders to deliver exceptional outcomes for this great city.”

Pureval held a press conference Friday at City Hall to formally introduce Long and congratulate her nomination. The group consisted of city staff, neighborhood groups, nonprofits, religious leaders and representatives from the business community.

Jonathan Adee, executive director of Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, has worked with Long for her entire career with the City of Cincinnati. The two work closely on the environmental organization's various neighborhood cleanup and revitalization programs.

Adee described Long as accessible, solution-driven and “always willing to roll up her sleeves. He called Long's pending appointment a “major win” for Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.

“She’s been an absolute pleasure to work with and a true asset to the city,” he said. “She understands the culture of our neighborhoods. She understands Cincinnatians don’t see their city for its shortcomings, and they don’t want the government to solve their problems. The people want access so that they can be a part of the solution.”

Next steps for Long, Curp and other city positions

Long will take over for Curp, who Pureval named his pick for interim city manager Dec. 27. At the time, Pureval hadn’t yet taken office. The announcement of Curp came just hours after the resignation of former City Manager Paula Boggs Muething.

“I want to thank John Curp for his hard, commendable work as Interim City Manager for the past eight months. He came in with a vision for a more communicative, transparent government, and he succeeded in carrying out that tremendously important objective,” Pureval said in a statement. “I will always be grateful for his work and desire to make a difference in our community.”

It’s not clear about what’s next for Curp. The former Cincinnati city solicitor had been working in the private sector prior to being recruited by Pureval to help his transition into office.

Curp’s contract calls for him to be paid about $265,000 annually as interim city manager. The contract calls for him to be paid at least 75% of that salary if he takes another senior level management role in the city.

The city guaranteed Curp’s salary for at least two and half years, assuming he wasn’t fired for cause, per his contract. The contract noted that if he’s fired before the selection of a permanent city manager, Curp would receive six months of severance plus any accrued sick time.

In late July, the city announced the departure of its most recent city solicitor, Andrew Garth. He left to take an executive position with The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. Curp selected a longtime city employee, Emily Smart Woerner, to take over the role on an interim basis. She’s had the position since Aug. 12.

Pureval didn’t have much to say Friday about the next steps regarding Curp. Both Curp and Long learned of the city manager pick earlier that day, he said, so wanted to take Friday to celebrate Long.

Pureval did mention that Curp voiced a desire to do “anything he can” to help with the transition. Curp wasn't available for comment. 

In her new role, Long has the job of finalizing the selection of several high-ranking positions, including city solicitor and the next chief of the Cincinnati Police Department. She’ll also have final say about next steps for Curp.

“I have every confidence that Cheryl can work with John to find the best possible solution for the city,” Pureval said.