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Nichols signed his $105,000 contract — the position was posted at $95,000 — with city council last week and he is set to start June 10. He will receive a $300 monthly car allowance and 40 hours of vacation time this year. The contract doesn’t have a specific requirement that Nichols move to the city but there is a residency provision in the event he is fired. He would receive three months severance pay if he has moved to the city but nothing if he still lives in Hamilton.
The residency requirement in the city’s charter is part of the reason it took nine months to find a new manager, but Nichols said the point is moot because he will be moving. He said while relocating “behooves” him where the severance issue is concerned, that’s not why he wants to become a resident.
“There is a reason why I have a passion for local government and not state or federal,” he said. “Being a city manager, someone can walk right down the street or if you’re going grocery shopping you can see the residents that you’re decisions have an impact on. I think that’s what brings value.”
Nichols hasn’t been a city manager before but Mayor Calvin Woodrey said he is definitely qualified for the job.
“Mr. Nichols is a very motivated individual who has been working toward becoming a city manager through his studies to receive his Master’s in Public Administration and working his way up to an administrative position with the city of Hamilton,” Woodrey said. “I’m looking forward to getting to know him and having a good working relationship with him.”
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