I think the idea of a city manager was that they would hire someone, likely from outside, with a background in revitatilzation. It would be a mistake to hire anyone that is part of the problem.
In my opinion, a lot of people in Alex City really don't want real change. The only thing that would make them happy is to bring back Russell or some other large manufacturing concern, because they can't visualize a different future. Sometimes I think the best thing would be to level all the old Russell buildings to help put that all in the past. (not to mention all those old buildings are an unsightly welcome to Alex City). Money has been spent on "branding" Alex City - standardizing signs and a brand - and while it is not a bad idea, it seems to me like that is putting the cart well beyond the horse. There are a lot of arguments about where new business should be developed - down town or on 280. It concerns me that when you arrive on 280, you see not much more than a lot of fast food franchises and a few run down businesses.