By Joshua Benton
Blade Staff Writer
Page 20
Mayor Carty Finkbeiner made two changes to Toledo’s management team yesterday, adding a member to his executive staff and promoting the housing commissioner to neighborhoods director.
Effective Nov. 29, Anthony Reams will become an assistant chief operating officer. The city’s housing commissioner, Deborah Younger, will take over Mr. Reams’s job of neighborhoods director.
“We are not standing on our laurels,” the mayor said. “We’re continuing to fine-tune the administration to make it better.”
Mr. Reams will become the fourth member of the mayor’s top executive team, joining Dan Hiskey, the chief operating officer, Mike Justen, an assistant chief operating officer, and Arturo Quintero, the mayor’s executive officer. Mr. Justen and Mr. Reams will each oversee six of the city’s 12 major departments.
Mr. Reams, 52, has been with the city for 13 years in a variety of positions, including commissioner of streets, bridges, and harbor, public service director, and chief operating officer.
In February, Mr. Reams drew the ire of the mayor, who cut his pay from $88,500 to $80,000 because he failed to meet performance standards as neighborhoods director. But Mr. Finkbeiner gave back half of the pay cut in July.
With his promotion, Mr. Reams’s pay will return to its original level, $88,500 a year.
“He has shown real leadership skills and has done a terrific job,” the mayor said.
Ms. Younger, 39, joined city government in October, 1998, as housing commissioner. Previously, she had been an administrator in the neighborhoods development division in the city of Columbus. Recently, she applied for the vacant economic development director position, but was instead given the neighborhoods job.
Ms. Younger’s salary will be $85,000. Her salary as housing commissioner was $69,500.