FLORENCE — Deputy City Manager Scotty Davis, a Fairfield County native, will take the helm as Florence’s interim city manager for the foreseeable future.
Florence City Council announced the decision at its Dec. 11 meeting. Davis will replace Randy Osterman, who has been the city manager since 2020 and plans to retire in February.
While Davis will officially be the interim city manager, Osterman said the appointment is long-term and will run through at least the next year.
Davis said he’s excited to take on the position and that things will continue largely as normal to begin with.
“The beauty of it for me is I’ve worked with Randy since I’ve been the deputy city manager. So all of our projects and things that we’re working on will continue as normal,” he said.
Davis has worked for the city for decades.
He oversees Florence’s neighborhood revitalization and community development programs, such as building housing in blighted areas, helping families repair and weatherize homes and creating Florence NeighborWorks to invest in communities.
Those programs have been points of emphasis in recent years for City Council members who have said they want to expand the success of downtown redevelopment to surrounding neighborhoods that still struggle with poverty.
Now, Davis will oversee the city’s day-to-day operations, administer policies passed by Council and communicate the needs of the city to elected officials.
Davis said he will continue to work closely with Osterman in the final weeks of his tenure before officially assuming his responsibilities in February.
Pending contract negotiations, Davis will take over for the next year. At that point, City Council will announce a permanent city manager.
