By Mike Finney

DOVER — Talk about making yourself feel right at home.

Dave Hugg, who has served as the director of planning and community development for the city of Dover since March 31, 2017, was chosen by the City Council to become the new city manager during a special meeting Thursday night.

Mr. Hugg had been serving as interim city manager for Dover since last October, replacing former interim city manager Matt Harline, who chose to retire.

Mr. Hugg originally came to Dover on a six-month contract after he was hired as a consultant to Dover’s city government in 2017. At the time, city officials stressed that “he would not be a candidate for the position of city planner.”

He was then asked to temporarily replace former City Planner Ann Marie Townshend, who accepted a job as city manager in Lewes.

However, Mr. Hugg’s vision for the city, penchant for getting results and innovative management style quickly made him a welcome addition to city staff, as he was hired as full-time director of planning and community development in December 2017, contrary to prior plans.

Dover City Council President Roy Sudler said that Mr. Hugg was the obvious candidate to fill the city manager vacancy permanently, after filling the role of interim city manager the past couple of months. His starting salary will be $150,000 per year.

“It is my honor to convey to our constituents that City Council members not only acknowledge, but also appreciate and value the hybrid employee skills that Mr. Dave Hugg has exemplified during our organizational challenges as interim city manager,” Councilman Sudler said. “Therefore, council has deemed it vital to promote Mr. Hugg to city manager of Dover, Delaware.”

Dawn Melson-Williams, principal planner for the city, will take over as the planning director until the position is filled.
Councilman Fred Neil (3rd District) said moving Mr. Hugg to his new role as city manager made perfect sense.

“Concerning Dave’s appointment, I feel elated,” said Councilman Neil. “The only question was if he wanted the position when the city manager’s job came open. As planning director, he created stability and cut red tape. His vast experience before coming to Dover was evident in everything he has done.”

Among Mr. Hugg’s greatest contributions during his stint in Dover has been overseeing members of the planning office in developing the city’s 2019 Comprehensive Plan. It was during that extensive process that he offered some insight into his leadership style, according to city officials.

He was also tasked with assessing operations of the planning office and initiating a “pro-business” approach to Dover’s permitting processes.

Mr. Hugg said sometimes people need to take chances if they want to get a big return, as happened with the city of Wilmington’s Riverfront, which is now bustling with economic and entertainment activity.

“A former governor and a former president of the University of Delaware got together and stood up on the waterfront in Wilmington and said, ‘By God, we can do this.’ And they did it,” Mr. Hugg said. “We need to figure out how they got it done.

“The most important thing that they got done was the government entities stood up, put aside the politics, put aside the ‘we can’t pay for it’ and said, ‘If it’s worth doing, we’re going to find a way to make it happen.’”

Mr. Hugg added, “That’s not happened in Dover. I hate to say it, but that’s not happened. Everybody’s kind of, ‘Oh well, it’s not in our budget,’ or ‘Well, it’s not government’s responsibility,’ or ‘Well, it’s somebody else.’

“There needs to be some leader that stands up and says, ‘By God, we’re going to do it,’ and isn’t afraid to take the crap that will come.”

Officials said it is that kind of can-do attitude that makes Mr. Hugg such a cutting-edge leader who has been a vital cog in helping to bring multiple large companies to Dover, such as the Delmarva Corrugated Packaging company on the POW/MIA Parkway.

Councilman Sudler said that several factors combined to make Mr. Hugg the obvious candidate to become Dover’s city manager.

Mr. Hugg retired as Smyrna’s town manager in December 2016 after 14 years leading different departments in the town.

“Mr. Hugg’s leadership style is aligned with leadership tenets regarded as a critical job resource to promote work engagement and employee retention initiatives stemming from four behavioral dimensions: individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and idealized influence,” said Councilman Sudler.

“The transformational leadership style not only motivates employees to reach beyond the status quo but acknowledges the need for a new direction and plays an integral role in inspiring and guiding employees through a transitional organizational era.”

He added, “The above mentioned often relies on valuing the employee input as the organization introduces new visions and goals for answering the directive for administrative reform, which encourages employees to achieve past and present expectations collectively with respect for all organizational citizens, subsequently coinciding with Dover’s mission statement.”

It was while putting the 2019 Comprehensive Plan together that Mr. Hugg offered some insight into what he thinks needs to be done to improve Delaware’s capital city.

He said he had pored over Dover’s last comprehensive plan in 2008 and many initiatives, which had been backed by paid studies, but they just remained in files in City Hall.

“They need to get done,” Mr. Hugg said, while putting the new plan together. “We’ve talked about some of these major projects, not necessarily me because I haven’t been here that long, but some of these projects have been talked about for years and it’s time.

“It’s time to get them done and it’s time for the city to step up and make some of those investments.”

He added, “We’ve got all these plans. We’ve got corridor plans and the transit center plan and plans for downtown and all these studies that had been done. Some of them have been sitting on the shelf for a decade. Either dust them off and implement them or throw them out, either one or the other. It’s time to take that action.”