Rehoboth hires new city manager

Rehoboth Beach has hired Bethel Park, Pa., Municipal Manager Laurence Christian as its next city manager.

The announcement came Nov. 2, following a brief commissioner meeting held to vote on a resolution to approve the hiring of Christian. The vote was 6-0, with Commissioner Francis Markert absent – Mayor Stan Mills said the city scheduled the meeting on short notice and Markert couldn’t adjust his schedule. Markert has said he fully supports the hiring, Mills said. 

Christian has been at Bethel Park, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pa., since 2019. Prior to that, he was a career military officer with the Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. 

During the meeting, City Solicitor Glenn Mandalas read the resolution into the record. It calls for a Jan. 3, 2023 start date.

Former City Manager Sharon Lynn’s last day was in early May. She was hired in 2013, took over in 2014 and, among other things, helped develop the capital improvement budget, oversaw the construction of city hall and the ocean outfall, and navigated the city through the COVID-19 pandemic. Assistant City Manager Evan Miller has been serving as interim city manager since March.

Immediately following the favorable vote and subsequent announcement, Mills said Christian had been a frontrunner for the position from the time he interviewed.

“I just wish he could start tomorrow,” Mills said.

The city advertised a range from $140,000 to $175,000 for the position. Lynn’s beginning salary was $120,000, but had risen to $141,250 by the time she left. Christian’s annual salary will begin at $160,000, said Mills.

The city’s fiscal year runs April 1 to March 31; city commissioners hash out the budget in January and February, and city staff are getting their budget requests ready now.

One of the immediate challenges for Christian, Mills said, will be the timing, because city staff will probably have already turned in their proposed budgets for next year by the time he starts in January. The same thing happened with Lynn, but it worked out, he said.

Further into the future, Mills said, Christian will oversee rebuilding of the beach patrol headquarters, and the streetscape project for Wilmington and Baltimore avenues. There are also ongoing projects, like the annual street paving program and completion of wastewater system upgrades, he said.

Mills said Miller did not apply for the city manager position, but filled in admirably.

“It would have been impossible to get through this summer without Evan,” said Mills, adding that Lynn did a great job getting staff ready in advance of her departure. “She hired these folks, and they were all well versed and didn’t miss a beat.”

During his time in the Army, Christian had multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recently served as infantry brigade deputy commander/chief of staff at Fort Benning, Ga. Over the course of his military career, he held a variety of leadership roles in organizations ranging from 30 to 1,700 personnel. As senior leader of operations, personnel, training and logistics at Fort Benning, he helped manage a 730-person organization in direct support of national strategic objectives.

In Bethel Park, Christian oversees a staff of 108 full- and part-time employees, and a $32 million annual budget. He created the information technology and human resources departments, and established a cross-divisional communications team to address resident engagement and communication.

Christian has a bachelor’s degree in history from Campbell University and a master’s degree in general administration from Central Michigan University. He also attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He holds local government certification from the International City/County Management Association.

Christian will be moving to Delaware with his wife, Anne Marie, and their three children ages 10, 8 and 6.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional background information on Laurence Christian.