O. Paul Shew

Paul Shew began his service as a Village Manager in Milford, Ohio. From there, he accepted a position as City Manager of Willimantic, Connecticut. Willimantic had a traditional town meeting form of government, and Mr. Shew was the first City Manager hired after the community voted to change. At that time, Willimantic was under a full field investigation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr. Shew successfully worked through the investigation and, four years later, assisted the village with a government consolidation effort with the Town of Windham—the first of its kind in nearly a century. He also served as an adjunct professor at Eastern Connecticut State University.

He went on to manage the Town of Franklin, Massachusetts. In Franklin, he was the lead negotiator in a public/private partnership agreement valued at $700 million, involving the MBTA, YMCA, NDAI, and the Town of Franklin. Over six years, Franklin developed two industrial parks, a commercial park, and a thriving “town and gown” relationship with the local college.

Mr. Shew is recognized as a change agent with a “velvet glove” approach. During his six-year tenure as Village Manager of Ossining, New York, he helped revitalize the Central Business District. This included relocating the police and court complex into the CBD, launching a waterfront design competition, reconstructing Fire Headquarters, building a natatorium, and negotiating a new U.S. Post Office downtown.

Beyond his U.S. city/county leadership roles, Mr. Shew has worked extensively with local leaders in England, Sweden, India, South Africa, and Japan. He is a past president of the Lower Hudson Valley ASPA Chapter and has completed all coursework toward his doctorate at the University of Connecticut.

His published work covers topics such as day laborers, downtown revitalization, managing difficult individuals, and economic renewal. He has also presented on public/private partnerships at the ASPA 64th Conference in Washington, D.C.