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Oakdale Administrator Case
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Oakdale Administrator Case Study
Nathanyl J. Behrens
PADM-501
August 27, 2019
Dr. Mathison
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Oakdale Administrator Case
Introduction
Oakdale Administrator Case Study
A struggling economic city is all too common in today’s society. The struggle to keep the
citizens happy, maintain economic stability and growth, and investing in new projects while
keeping the city relevant is incredibly tough to accomplish. Especially when the budget of an
economically declining city does not allow for infrastructure renewal which helps attract new
businesses to a community which lead to economic growth and the creation of jobs. This paper
will look at the Oakdale Administrator Case Study, identify the facts, the decisions made, how
the decisions affected the problem, and alternative solutions from outside sources[ CITATION
Oak \l 1033 ].
Facts
The suburb city of Oakdale came into being in 1941. Oakdale is suffering economically
and is in decline. Citizens on the outskirts and in the grey areas of municipality are claiming to
live in the neighboring city hurting Oakdale further[ CITATION Oak \l 1033 ]. The city has been
under siege and is attempting to recover from the listed issues:
1. The city has been operating on a budget of 3.5 million dollars the same as the year
before and half of neighboring cities of similar size and population[CITATION Oak \l
1033 ].
2. Oakdale has a population of approximately 5,000 people, a median income of
$47,869, a median house cost of $100,900, houses and building need repairs and
renovation, and the city is ultimately in decline [ CITATION Oak \l 1033 ].
3. Silver Lake City the town boarding Oakdale has a population of approximately 7,000,
a median income of $109,345, and a median house value of $359,888, and a budget
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Oakdale Administrator Case
of $6.7 million and increasing yearly. While there is a race difference between the two
cities there is no reason to suspect that that is the reason for Oakdale’s economic
downturn[ CITATION Oak \l 1033 ].
4. In 2003 Oakdale elected a semi inexperienced mayor, Ernest Hoffnagel. Mayor
Hoffnagel a cars salesman and former alderman was elected on the rhetoric that he
was going to revitalize the town and “enforce the codes… have more rigorous
housing inspections and remodel the retail centers.” Mayor Hoffnagel was unaware of
the budget and cost of implementing his ideas for Oakdale [ CITATION Oak \l
1033 ].
5. Mayor Hoffnagel replaced the old staff with new loyal staff, his most questionable
appointment was his City Administrator, Angela Donny. She had been under
investigation several times and employed by eight different municipal governments in
her 12-year career [ CITATION Oak \l 1033 ].
6. Before Mayor Hoffnagel took office there was a city project in the design phase
which he moved expeditiously. He gave Angela the authority to get the project rolling
with little concern for other people’s opinions. She failed to follow proper procedures
once again and spent $4.2 million on property for the project incurring the city $4
million in debt before anyone knew what was happening.
7. The aldermen fired Angela from her post, and Mayor Hoffnagel stepped down a
month later. An interim Mayor Marie Clarkson and City Administrator Paul Asher
were brought in to fix the mess [ CITATION Oak \l 1033 ].
Decision
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Oakdale Administrator Case
There were several decisions made in this case study that led to Oakdale being $4 million
in debt, here are the five main decisions made.
1. Electing Mayor Hoffnagel was not a bad decision as most politicians are elected
based on rhetoric and promising to fix things.
2. Mayor Hoffnagel appointment of Angela to City Administrator wasn’t a bad decision,
however the execution was. With her experience she was qualified for the position
and loyal to the new mayor making her a logical choice. However, due to her
unethical past she should have been kept a close eye on and not given the free reign
that she was.
3. After costing the city over $4 million the aldermen’s decision to fire Angela was
appropriate.
4. With his plans in disarray and little room to hide Mayor Hoffnagel resigned a month
after Angela was expelled. This was the correct decision to make as trust in the local
government was broken and the integrity of his office questioned.
5. The final decision was bringing in an experienced interim Mayor and while young, a
knowledgeable City Administrator. This decision was a great decision on the part of
the aldermen as it helps restore the faith in the local government and that this $4
million debt will be made right.
Solution
Oakdale is faced with the two choices moving forward, to go ahead with the project or to
cancel and try to minimize the losses. The decision has been left to the young City Administrator
Asher, is their another way to save the city money and bring about the change they so
desperately need[ CITATION Oak \l 1033 ]?
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Oakdale Administrator Case
Yes, if Oakdale were to allocate a specific amount of land to the private sector or host a
land auction. With the proper marketing and auctioning of land, investors would assist in
revitalizing the town, creating jobs and economic growth while simultaneously assisting the city
by purchasing the land and recouping some of the losses. While Oakdale won’t be able to sell the
land for what they purchased it for, the economic benefits of bringing in new businesses and
investors far outweigh the cost[ CITATION Kag12 \l 1033 ].
This has played out in Arizona, Chicago and Atlanta with tax incentives and selling large
amounts of land for cheap to developers. It worked so well, that many places are looking to
follow suit. For example, Amazon’s competition for a city to host its second headquarters would
bring “$5 billion in infrastructure investment and 50,000 high-paying jobs”[ CITATION Tuc17 \l
1033 ] to that city.
Conclusion
The situation Oakdale finds itself in is not simply a small-town issue it is an American
issue. With more taxes going to state and federal government then the municipal government it is
leaving the cities with very few options for maintenance and growth. While the situation is
salvageable in Oakdale it is not without time, the proper use of government funds, and proper
governmental procedure. Mayor Clarkson, Asher, and the aldermen must be in unity or
agreement moving forward with their plan.
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References
Cropf, R., Giancola, J., & Lewis, C. (2016). Oakdale Administrator Case. In R. Cropf, J. Giancola, & K.
Loutzenhiser, The Public Administration Casebook (pp. 79-88). New York: Taylor & Francis.
Kaganova, O. (2012). Guidebook on Packaging and Marketing.
Tucker, J. (2017, October 6). City Governments Are Selling off Land Lot by Lot. Retrieved from
Foundation for Economic Education.
