Cahall did not respond to request for comment on his resignation.
Cahall and Ashley Combs, the city’s two assistant managers at the time, took turns serving as acting city managers after Paul Lolli’s abrupt retirement in July 2024.
Cahall served as acting city manager for five months and Combs for just over two months as council evaluated their performance before deciding whether to conduct a national, or at least a regional, search.
Council appointed Combs in March before she finished her six month tenure as acting city manager.
In March, Combs said she wanted Cahall to remain assistant city manager.
“We work very well together,” she said.
Since 2019, Middletown has had six city managers either in acting or permanent roles, who were fired, signed separation agreements or resigned.
Doug Adkins, who served as city manager for five years, was removed as city manager by council on Dec. 17, 2019.
Then Susan Cohen was named acting city manager. She then left the city for a leadership position in Union Twp.
In March 2022, Jim Palenick, who served as city manager for less than two years, and the council signed a mutual separation agreement ending his tenure as the city’s leader and setting the stage for Lolli, then the fire chief, to take the reigns.
After retirement from the city manager position, Lolli was appointed in October 2024 to a vacant council seat following the resignation of Zack Ferrell, who moved out of the city.
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