010912 Woosters Director of Administration resigns
By Sharon Haught
January 4, 2012
317
Summary: The City of Woosters Director of Administration Robert Fowler has resigned.
After just over a year in the job, Woosters Director of Administration Robert Fowler has resigned.
According to a Jan. 4 press release issued by the Office of the Mayor of the City of Wooster, Wooster Mayor Bob Breneman noted that in a letter dated Jan. 3 Fowler advised the mayor of his decision to resign effective at the end of January.
His decision will enable him to accept the position of Director of Public Safety and Service with the City of Lorain, said Breneman noting that Fowler has assured me that he did not seek this new position, but once offered to him, he felt compelled to accept it.
Breneman praised Fowlers work during his 13 months on the job.
Robert has done an honorable job for the City of Wooster and he has done so in the face of considerable challenges, said Breneman.
Throughout his tenure with Wooster he has acquitted himself with integrity and enthusiasm and he will always have my respect, Breneman noted.
By the same token, he will be moving to a position which will be closer to his home and which will offer him increased responsibilities with a larger city work force, said Breneman adding Woosters loss will be Lorains gain.
Fowler was introduced to the public for the first time during Wooster City Councils Nov. 1, 2010 meeting and assumed his duties as Director of Administration effective Dec. 6, 2010.
According to Breneman, Fowler, who is a native of Wheeling, West Virginia, served as administrator for the Village of Carrollton, Ohio for the four years prior to his arrival in Wooster.
Fowler earned a bachelors degree and a masters of public administration from Cleveland State University and served as a firefighter/paramedic for 10 years for the City of Brook Park, Ohio.
Fowler took the reigns as Woosters Director of Administration from Mike Sigg in December of 2010.
Sigg took up his duties as Director of Administration in the summer of 2000 and served the city in that role for just over 10 years.
Sigg retired from public service to the City of Wooster in late 2010 and was one of the 24 long time city employees who participated in a voluntary retirement program offered by the city to help bridge an expected $2 million budget gap in 2011.
Fowlers resignation is effective Jan. 31.
During a telephone interview with Breneman on Jan. 4, the mayor noted that in the interest of tightening the citys belt, for the immediate future Fowlers responsibilities will be re-assigned to others within the citys administrative staff.
A decision on when to replace Fowler will be made at a later date.
