Can-Dewey: New city manager hopes to boost economic development, tourism

BRISTOL, Va. – New City Manager Dewey Cashwell’s enthusiasm is palpable.

On the job less than a week, Bristol’s top executive is anxious to apply his ideas about economic development, heritage tourism, and promoting and marketing the city– ideas chiseled from almost 30 years in public service – while preserving necessary services amid an uncertain economic climate.

Cashwell comes to the Twin City after stops as varied as Martinsville and Dinwiddie County in Virginia to metropolitan Bexar County [San Antonio] and the tourist destination South Padre Island in Texas. In those assignments, he helped the Texas resort town recover from a hurricane, a metropolitan area deal with substantial growth and rural Martinsville cope with economic disaster.

The 61-year-old administrator said his new stop has a considerable upside.

“This community has a lot to offer. With the transportation network in place, what’s here from Abingdon and on the Tennessee side, there are a lot of pluses,” Cashwell said. “It’s a traditional community, with assets like schools and a faith community.”

Finding ways to improve this area’s quality of life while also helping to foster growth is the challenge, he said.

“What is it they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions? We can’t afford to sit around thinking about how wonderful it could be or how it ought to be,” Cashwell said. “We’ve got to be taking some steps. When we learn of an opportunity, we need to do our best to capitalize on it.”

The new manager spent much of his first week meeting with city department heads and employees trying to learn as much as possible.

Management style

“I am a very collaborative manager. I seek to draw out the best of what’s around me. I look for good ideas and I listen very, very hard. I do not underestimate any individual and I look for opportunities to capitalize on great ideas – wherever they come from,” Cashwell said.

As a learning exercise, he directed city department heads to list values the city should sustain and top priorities for each division’s part of the operation. The responses – ranging from pride, confidence, fairness and quality of life – were appreciated.

“It’s a really good starting point to know that folks are willing to engage a new manager and it was gratifying to know folks are willing to engage in a collegial atmosphere like I hope to create here,” Cashwell said. “It’s important for me to know we have a team in place who have a commitment to public service. And I found that out. We have some wonderfully committed folks with a real depth of understanding of what they do.”

Cashwell said it was “pretty magical” to find an assemblage of so many qualified department heads in a small town like Bristol.

“This is a stellar team. I’m really looking forward to working with these folks. I think we’re going to accomplish some good things together. I’m certain of it.”

Cashwell’s philosophy is to work “shoulder to shoulder” with city employees across all divisions rather than a hierarchy, he said.

“Where we are today [in government], I think could fairly be represented as a barn-raising philosophy, where everyone gets together and works together,” he said.

Cashwell said he especially enjoys getting to know people and learning their ideas.

“My office is going to be known as being approachable. You may have to take a number at times, because there’s only one of me. I may have to ask people to be patient, but I want to engage people personally,” Cashwell said. “We’re not going to be a government that hides behind the walls of authority. We are definitely going to have the doors open.”

He also plans to conduct regular staff meetings with all department heads.

In January, the City Council unanimously selected Cashwell from a field of three finalists to replace Bill Dennison who retired Dec. 31. Cashwell will be paid $110,000 a year, plus health and dental insurance, retirement benefits, a car and cellular phone allowance, plus relocation expenses.

Mayor Jim Rector said Cashwell was chosen because of his background.

“He’s got the knowledge,” Rector said. “It’s a different personality than what has been at City Hall. I think it’s a good fit.”

Leaving paradise

Before Bristol, Cashwell’s most recent assignment was city manager of South Padre Island, a tiny south Texas Gulf Coast resort community of about 2,500 residents that attracts millions each year to relax or party on its pristine beaches.

Working in such a “non-traditional” community for six years provided a wealth of lessons but ended suddenly in August.

According to published reports, Cashwell “resigned” that month without explanation. At that time, city officials had no comment.

On Aug. 26, that board held a special meeting to discuss and accept Cashwell’s resignation and appoint the assistant manager to replace him, according to meeting minutes.

“The political winds changed. It’s as simple as that,” Cashwell said. “In January 2009, I was given a $1,000 a month raise and by August – following the May elections – things had changed.”

Cashwell called South Padre Island an “extremely challenging” place to serve, but declined to expand on that characterization.

“It is anything but a traditional community. No one is born and raised on South Padre Island. Many are conceived, but none are born there,” he said. “I served very capably for more than six years. I respect their right to change – and they did. I received my severance package and went looking for another job. I am happy to be in a traditional community.”

Paul Cunningham, the South Padre Island city attorney, said Cashwell lasted longer than most.

“I tell most city managers their life expectancy is about five years in south Texas and Dewey lasted past five years,” Cunningham said in a phone interview. “It’s the nature of the beast. It’s a tough profession.”

Cunningham described Cashwell as energetic, extremely hard working, articulate and good-natured.

His accomplishments include building a new city hall, street and sidewalk improvements and leading the town back from the ravages of a hurricane, Cunningham said.

“He did a whole lot for this community,” the attorney said. “His only sin was the job became his life. He worked way too many hours and I told him that.”

Additional praise

Martinsville City Manager Clarence Monday said this week that it’s “great” to see Cashwell back in Virginia.

“Dewey is a thoughtful person who considers every option possible before making a decision,” Monday said. “He’s very imaginative and creative and makes very informed decisions.”

Monday served as Martinsville’s deputy fire chief when Cashwell worked as assistant city manager for much of the last decade. That tenure occurred during a time of severe economic strife after some of the city’s largest employers closed suddenly, laying off thousands.

“The city [Martinsville] still hasn’t recovered from that,” Monday said. “But that experience will help him in Bristol, because they’re [Bristol] like everyone else – recruiting and retaining jobs is really important.”

Monday characterized Cashwell as personable, accessible, articulate and someone who understands the value of good communications with employees and the public.

Longtime Martinsville City Councilman Gene Teague also praised Cashwell.

“He was well thought of by those on the council and the [former] city manager who hired him,” Teague said. “Dewey was a very detailed person. He had a good balance between strategy and tactical things. He understood the value of planning.”

Teague said Cashwell was instrumental in re-negotiating Martinsville’s cable television franchise agreement and oversaw construction of a jail facility to address crowding.

“He was here when Tultex closed, so he has experience dealing with an economic crisis situation,” Teague said. “He’s a great guy and good at what he does.”

Budget first

Cashwell’s first priority will be getting up to speed on the condition of the city’s budget and developing a spending plan for fiscal 2010-11.

Last year, the council approved some spending cuts, withheld employee pay raises and refinanced $1.6 million in long-term bond debt to balance the city’s $50 million general fund budget. However, they resisted implementing employee furloughs or layoffs.

Additional cuts in state funding are anticipated.

Cashwell said his priority will be maintaining necessary services, especially public safety.

“We’re going to take a look at the things we have to do,” he said.

“We’re going to look at ways to free up some funds and not impair services. I’m pretty old school when it comes to the responsibilities of government. The first responsibility is to provide the things we can do for the collective good that individuals cannot. People can’t run their own fire department or police force.”

Cashwell met Friday with city Chief Financial Officer Steve Allen to review the fiscal 2009-10 spending plan and the tax revenue streams that have declined to the point that the city has had to borrow against anticipated real estate and other tax collections.

“There are some things folks like to have that we may not be able to sustain or will have to pare back on. If we have to make some of those kinds of changes, it’s not the end of the world. I have a long memory and we can come back to them when we’re stronger financially. It’s no different than how a family looks at its budget when something affects them,” Cashwell said.

“We’re going to make our way to a point where we’re financially sound. At this point, it’s somewhat like the Lewis & Clark expedition. There’s some unknown territory out there. We believe in it, but we haven’t gotten to it yet. But they got there and we will too,” he said.

Economic development

Cashwell’s resume includes an emphasis on economic development – a topic on which his Bristol predecessors often played a supporting role but weren’t asked to lead.

“I love the work. I really enjoy economic development and enjoy the fruits of the labor because you can see the results,” Cashwell said.

At present, Bristol Virginia Utilities funds the city’s economic development efforts through an agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Each year, BVU sets aside $500,000 from electric system revenues to do projects, provide incentive payments and fund the salary and activities of Economic Development Director Jerry Brown.

“I’m not clear entirely on the structure. I want to get to know these folks personally. I’ve seen a lot of different structures in different places,” Cashwell said. “The last thing you want is for them to be working against each other and not even know it. I hope to be a consensus builder and offer whatever suggestions I can in the right places.”

The city manager is an ex-officio member of the city’s Economic Development Committee, which is comprised of citizens, city and BVU officials. The committee makes recommendations to the BVU board of directors.

“I don’t intend to displace anyone else’s role. I want to learn how its being done and get to a point I can ask some intelligent questions about that subject, see what kind of answers I get and then decide to what extent my participation is really needed,” Cashwell said.

Among the keys to successful economic development are good communication and creative thinking.

Cashwell said it also is vitally important to know what the business community thinks of the city and its services, and what can be done to make improvements.

“It’s important we have job growth, but what I’ve found in years of doing economic development is you have to listen very carefully and solicit those comments. I intend to make myself very available to those opportunities,” Cashwell said.

He views “cross-pollination” – getting and sharing that information within the city’s economic development structure – as one of his most important roles.

Building tourism

Besides dealing with hard-partying South Padre Island crowds of 150,000 to 175,000 daily during spring break and major holidays, Cashwell worked on heritage tourism projects in Dinwiddie County – a 25,000-resident area near Richmond steeped in Civil War history.

From that varied background, Cashwell already sees potential here.

“I want to look for opportunities to create events that bring people to the community and showcase the community. I want to look for opportunities to celebrate seasons, occasions and accomplishments,” Cashwell said.

“I’d like to see folks encouraged to bring their activities and events to the city and for us to help them in whatever ways we can to get started and make it a friendly and inviting community for that type of activity,” Cashwell said emphasizing that heritage tourism can offer tangible benefits because patrons typically have “deep pockets.”

“That kind of tourism is good for a community and very often those folks are in the business world and have the ability to influence corporate locations or other places to do business and take advantage of a labor market,” Cashwell said.

He also cited the efforts of Virginia communities such as Winchester and Charlottesville to attract large numbers of residents and visitors to their downtown areas by creating pedestrian malls. While admitting such changes can cause a “furor,” he said it is a proven formula for success.

“I don’t want to get lynched instantaneously, but they’ve paved their Main street with bricks and got a walking mall with parking around the perimeter,” Cashwell said, adding that he didn’t know if that approach would work here.

“I want to do our best to get people out of their cars – to create an environment where people will linger. If you can get them out of their cars, you’re halfway there to shaking some change out of their pockets.”

He also characterized travel and tourism as the nation’s most productive industry for job creation.

Personally

Cashwell’s work portfolio also includes being an assistant county administrator in Bexar County, Texas – the nation’s 20th most populous county – with more than 1.6 million residents and two smaller Texas communities.

A native of New Bern, N.C., Cashwell grew up in Martinsville and Charlottesville, Va. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

Cashwell earned a bachelor’s degree in community services from William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Miss., and a master’s degree in human resources management at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.

He and his wife, Sandy, a native of San Antonio, Texas, have a 19-year-old daughter Erika who currently attends Texas A & M University. The family is currently finalizing arrangements to relocate to Bristol.

BIOGRAPHY
Age: 61
Born: New Bern, N.C.
Grew up: Martinsville and Charlottesville, Va.
Wife: Sandy
Daughter: Erika, 19, at Texas A&M
Education: Bachelor of arts, community services, William Carey College, Hattiesburg, Miss.; and master’s degree, human resource management, Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif.
Military service: Seven years in the U.S. Air Force, starting in 1969.

WORK HISTORY
1981-91: Assistant County Administrator, Bexar County [San Antonio], Texas
1991-93: County Administrator, Dinwiddie County, Va.
1993-00: Assistant City Manager, Martinsville, Va.
2000-02: City Manager, Schertz, Texas
2003: City Manager, Orange, Texas
2004-09: City Manager, South Padre Island, Texas

FAVORITES
Sports: Motorsports, especially Formula 1 and NASCAR
Music: Classic rock and roll, rhythm & blues, country
Artists: Rolling Stones, Delbert McClinton
Actor: George Clooney, Mel Gibson
Hobbies: Reading, especially biographies and history; watching movies; playing golf
Currently reading: “Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies;” biographies of former presidents James K. Polk and Theodore Roosevelt
iPod: “I don’t know. My daughter just loaded it and I don’t know who some of them are.”

dmcgee@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2532