Adkins was suspended with pay pending a written response or public hearing request within 30 days of council’s action. The council will then have a final vote after considering the written response or holding a public hearing to complete the termination process.
Councilwoman Ami Vitori said Cohen’s knowledge of many of the projects underway helped the council’s decision to name her acting city manager.
“We don’t want to lose any time or energy on these projects,” Vitori said. “These are all pretty big projects that have the support and approval of council.”
“I’ve had my hands in many of the ongoing projects and I have a basic knowledge of what’s going on,” Cohen said.
Cohen, 39, earns a salary is of $91,608 per year in her current position and will receive an additional bi-weekly salary of $1,607 for the additional duties as acting city manager. After a new city manager is selected, Cohen will revert to serving as administrative services director.
“The instructions that I have been given by council is that it’s ‘business as usual and we’re moving forward,’” she said. “Middletown is open for business.”
Cohen is meeting with department heads and community partners as she takes charge of the city administration.
She and her husband reside in West Chester with their rescue dog. Cohen was born and raised in Cincinnati.
Cohen is a graduate of the Max M. Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University in business administration with a double major in finance and international business and earned her law degree at Case Western Reserve University.
Prior to her appointment as acting city manager, Cohen served as an assistant prosecutor, prosecutor, general counsel and administrative services director for the city of Middletown and an assistant prosecutor in Clinton County.
She served legal internships and externships for the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office, was part of the Association of Defense Counsel for International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands; served in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Youngstown; was a financial planning analyst for NCR Corp., and was an adjunct instructor of criminal justice at Miami University Regionals.
Susan H. Cohen
Age: 39
Employment: Acting Middletown city manager; Middletown administrative services director
Family: Married; one rescue dog, Oliver
Residency: West Chester; born and raised in Cincinnati
Other: Served as assistant city prosecutor, assistant law director, and general counsel for the city of Middletown; Assistant prosecutor, Clinton County Prosecutor's Office; legal intern, Hamilton County Public Defender's Office; legal intern, Association of Defense Counsel at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, United Nations, The Hague, Netherlands; judicial extern, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Ohio, Youngstown; financial planning analyst, NCR Corporation, Dayton; adjunct instructor of criminal justice, Miami University Regional Campuses; admitted to practice of law in the state of Ohio and federal court in the Souther District of Ohio.
Education: The Ohio State University, Max M. Fisher College of Business, bachelor of science degree in business administration with a double major in finance and international business, June 2002; Case Western Reserve University School of Law, law degree, May 2007
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