Aug 25, 2015 By Harry Funk 2 min read

When municipal manager Steve Feller announced plans to resign, Mt. Lebanon commissioners were somewhat taken aback.

“He was such a stable force for so long,” John Bendel, commission president, said about Feller, who marked his 14th anniversary as manager in August. “He has an opportunity for something new that kind of intrigues him. It’s a fresh start for him and a new start for us, too.”

Feller last week accepted a position as trust administrator and chief administrative officer of the nonprofit Municipal Risk Management Inc. in Franklin Park. He plans to stay with Mt. Lebanon until Oct. 15 and will submit his recommended 2016 budget to commissioners before his exit.

At that point, municipal planner Keith McGill will take over on an interim basis, and finance director Andrew McCready will take over the budgeting process.

“We have a high level of confidence in Keith and all of the department heads,” Bendel said. “This transition will be smooth until we find a replacement.”

The commission at its Sept. 8 meeting is expected to approve the hiring of a firm to conduct a national search for a new manager.

A similar process took place when Wilmer Baldwin resigned in 2001. Feller, who had been a Maryland Port Authority administrator, was selected to return to Mt. Lebanon, where he served as assistant manager for six years during the 1980s.

“We decided pretty quickly that we want to cast a broad net and find the best fit for Mt. Lebanon,” Bendel explained.

He complimented Feller’s work.

“He’s a good person and comes from a good place,” he said. “Add on top his experience, and he really has been a steady hand for us. We’re going to miss him.”

Feller is the third top administrator the municipality has had to replace in 2015, following the retirements of public works director Tom Kelley in January and police Chief Coleman McDonough in May. They were supplanted internally by Rudy Sukal and Aaron Lauth, respectively.

“We’ve been fortunate. We’ve been selecting individuals who are bringing new energy and ideas. We’re very happy with them,” Bendel said. “Sometimes, change is good.”