COVINGTON — The village of Covington recently welcomed a new administrator to its staff. Kyle Hinkelman filled the role previously vacated by Mike Busse.
Hinkelman, 36, is the village’s second administrator and is responsible for general management of the village staff, economic development, planning and budgeting for the village. He also oversees management of the street and utility departments, the Community Park, and other tasks assigned by the mayor and council.
Originally from Troy, Hinkelman received his undergraduate degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., before returning to the Dayton area where he currently resides with his wife, Linda, and their three children, Colin, 11, and twins Finn and Grant, 9.
At Ball State, Hinkelman earned a degree in urban planning and development. He also earned a master’s degree from Ohio State University in regional planning.
For the past 13 years, Hinkelman worked for Miami Township in Montgomery County as the deputy director of community development.
“I had the pleasure to work on many different development efforts, including Austin Landing, Miami Crossing, and Dayton Wright Brothers Airport,” Hinkelman said.
In total, Hinkelman said he worked on over $300 million in development projects while employed with the township.
After over a decade with Miami Township, Hinkelman said he has seen his career progress, adding that he hopes to continue to grow as a public servant in Covington.
“The village of Covington has so many good things happening that I am excited to be a part of,” Hinkelman said. “I feel that my skill set works well within the vision that the village council and mayor have presented, (and) I hope that I can have a positive impact on the future of Covington.”
Covington projects that Hinkelman will be involved in will include redevelopment along High Street with the Marias Technology Building, Boscoe’s Place, and Glacier View Coffee; a new Schoolhouse Park project that’s currently being designed; and a completed new streetscape along High Street planned in 2022.
Hinkelman said he has several goals he hopes to achieve during his time in this role, with the immediate achievement being to provide the mayor and council a budget for consideration for 2021 that is “sustainable and utilizes public funds efficiently.”
Other goals include working with village staff and residents to understand how the village’s services are being provided and to find ways to provide said services as effectively as possible with the limited funds available; to develop a “strategic plan for the village that clearly states our mission with achievable goals and objectives that can be shared;” and to continue to develop the already-strong investment into Covington from locally-owned business owners.
Hinkelman also has a more unique goal he would like to accomplish.
“(I hope) to meet every single person who resides within Covington,” he said. “All 2,584 people (as of the 2010 census).”
