McMinnville City Administrator Nolan Ming said his decision to step down came down to a chance to return to his home region.
Ming said the timing of the opportunity in Illinois was the primary factor in his decision rather than any issues within the local administration. Ming said things are currently going very well in McMinnville and he hopes that progress continues long after his departure. Ming said the chance to return to a larger city that was familiar, was too good to pass up.
“I saw that the city of Joliet was hiring and I thought it was very intriguing, so I threw my name in the hat,” Ming said.
Ming said he first became interested in the position after seeing that Joliet was hiring and decided to submit his name for consideration. Ming said he is particularly proud of the community-wide strategic planning process implemented in McMinnville approximately three years ago.
“It was a very impactful process that purposefully brought together people from all different portions of the community, the elected officials as well as our staff, to identify our goals for the next three to five years and put strategic goals to those and start working those plans and goals,” Ming said. “And we’ve stayed very focused on those goals, and it’s been to me, in my opinion, one of the best things that we’ve done.”
Ming said the move allows him to learn the inner workings and unique challenges of a larger city. Ming said the decision was also heavily influenced by the desire to be closer to his friends and family.
“You only live once, and I’ve got a lot of family there,” Ming said. “And you know, just being able to spend more time with your family, that’s very important. And we definitely weighed that in making this decision.”
Ming said consensus building remains one of the most significant challenges of city management regardless of the size of the municipality. Ming said the strategic plan helped McMinnville move away from being reactive to “bright shiny objects” and toward meaningful long-term financial planning.
“In Joliet, I’ll be doing a lot of that same thing, talking to a lot of different people that have a stake in the game, understanding their positions, and trying to synthesize a path forward that works best for the entire community,” Ming said.
Ming said the McMinnville Board of Mayor and Aldermen appointed Parks and Recreation Director Justin Scott to serve as the interim city administrator. Ming said he is currently working to hand off all active projects to Scott to ensure there is no gap in daily operations during the transition.
“It was a very difficult decision because we absolutely love McMinnville,” Ming said. “The people here have been fantastic. We have built a great team at the city as an organization. My wife has some family here, and we’ve just got so many connections here that it was difficult making the decision to go back to Illinois for me.”
Ming said the board will likely meet in the coming weeks to discuss the permanent selection process for his successor.
“My final message is thank you and just to keep doing what you’re doing,” Ming said. “It’s fantastic. This is a special place.”
