DECATUR - Behind the desk of City Manager Steve Garman hangs a reminder from Friedrich Nietzsche.

The state is called the coldest of all cold monsters, the German philosopher remarked.

The chilling quote reminds Garman of the dim view some hold about government.

But it hasn't frozen his love for running the affairs of the city of Decatur.

Garman says city government can play an important role in improving a community's quality of life, assisting economic development and tackling larger community issues.

It's a role Garman takes seriously.

Garman saw in Decatur a community with great promise before he started work as city manager in 1999. Eight years later, Garman has seen his initial impression reinforced time and again.

"Every city is a work in progress," Garman said. "There's no such thing as a completed city."

Garman serves as the city's chief executive officer, running the day-to-day operations of a city with more than 500 employees and an annual budget of more than $100 million.

He serves at the pleasure of the Decatur City Council and is charged with administering the policies the elected councilmen agree upon.

A divided city council in August narrowly voted 4-3 to approve a two-year agreement with Garman.

Details of the contract include a 3 percent raise, for an annual salary of $131,158, and a monthly automobile allowance of $500. Garman will be eligible later this year for a salary review.

Voting in favor of the agreement were Mayor Paul Osborne and council members Patrick Laegeler, Mike McElroy and Betsy Stockard.

"I see a lot of strengths in working with him," Osborne said of Garman after approving the contract. "I think that was reflected in the way I voted."

Voting against the agreement were councilmen Michael Carrigan, Shad Edwards and Dan Caulkins.

Carrigan voiced concerns about Garman's performance.

"I continue to believe the city manager has extreme trouble with honest communication," Carrigan said. "I think we can do better."

Before coming to Decatur, Garman served as president of Government Credit Corp. in Pensacola, Fla. He remains on the board of directors for the group, which acts as financier for Florida municipalities. Garman also served as city manager in Westminster, Colo., and Pensacola.

In recent years, Garman has worked with the Decatur council and community leaders on downtown revitalization, economic development, improving the community's quality of life and other fronts.

Garman hasn't been bashful about weighing in on controversial community topics, writing an opinion piece for the Herald & Review to back Mayor Paul Osborne's plan to move the Transfer House back to Lincoln Square.

"It's a lot more than just cleaning the streets and making sure people are protected," Garman said of his position. "Sure, that's the No. 1 priority. But that's not where it ends. You're in a position to improve the economy or create an opportunity for great things to happen.

"If you're in a position to do that and don't do it, then I don't think you're doing your job very well."

Garman paused, reflecting.

"In the process of doing that, you're going to ruffle a lot of feathers," Garman said.

Osborne said the city is moving in the right direction. And a good working relationship between the council and the city manager is an important part of that success, Osborne said.

"The city council and the mayor can make choices, but it's up to the city manager to make recommendations," Osborne said. "Downtown, Mound and 51, and just all over the community, you can see growth, growth in our industries; you can see that we are progressing as a city. Certainly, the city manager has been a part of that."

It's important for the city council and city manager to remember their respective roles, Osborne said.

The council should not attempt to micromanage city affairs or employee issues, the mayor said.

But the council sets the policy Garman is charged with administering.

"(Garman) does not have the authority to do whatever he wants to do," Osborne said. "The ultimate direction of the city of Decatur is approved by the city council. How well the city manager works to accomplish the goals of the city council determines his effectiveness as a city manager.

"But his advice and recommendations, based on his experience and his education, go a long way in helping us come to those decisions."

Garman is pleased with city efforts to redevelop downtown in recent years.

"Today, the downtown area produces a much more significant opportunity for fruitful investment," Garman said. "We're much closer today to making that work."

The Decatur City Council in October approved a multimillion-dollar downtown redevelopment project, which Osborne hailed as a "giant leap forward."

Reynolds Development LLC will build a 75,000-square-foot structure on vacant land on the east side of the 300 block of North Water Street, formerly known as "the hole." Anchor tenants will be Dansig/Consociate and Regions Bank.

Both anchor tenants will move from their current downtown locations. About 11,000 square feet on the first floor of the new development would be available for retail and commercial space.

The city agreed to acquire properties on the west side of the block to demolish or rehabilitate. A landscaped courtyard will be constructed between Main and Water streets, and a pedestrian walkway will be built connecting a nearby city parking garage to the upper stories of structures on the west side of the 300 block of North Water Street.

The developers worked for years with city administrators to iron out the redevelopment deal.

Garman remembers viewing the former Mound School at Mound Road and U.S. 51 with former Assistant City Manager A.J. Krieger. The duo agreed that the busy intersection made for a poor school environment but was a prime commercial spot.

Today, the site is home to a retail center, anchored by a Target store.

The council decided to buy about 20 acres from the Decatur School District for about $5 million and develop it into the retail center.

The deal helped fund major improvements throughout the school district, including the construction of Hope Academy, a new school near the Wabash Crossing neighborhood.

Stockard praised Garman for being "a visionary person" and "the best we've had yet as a city manager" in her 2005 bid for re-election to the council.

Garman credits a forward-thinking council and community members for spurring community progress.

"A lot of the leadership in Decatur really wants things to happen," Garman said. "Wherever an idea originates, sooner or later, it's got to be approved by the Decatur City Council or it's not going to happen.

"It's the council's business and the city manager's business to be in tune with that, to try to be on the forefront of making these kinds of quality-of-life improvements, to keep the engine going, the economy going.

"You really need forward-thinking, visionary people on the city council - a group that not only cares about taking care of business today, but is looking toward the future."

Garman quotes with approval business guru Jim Collins, whom he heard at a professional conference.

"He said business leaders and great public leaders all say that the best ones are the ones who plan for the next quarter, meaning quarter of a century," Garman said. "I think that's absolutely true."

Decatur must continue to promote its image, Garman said. Sometimes, outsiders see improvements in the community that escape the notice of longtime residents, Garman said.

"I'd like to see us do a much better job and a more coordinated job of selling Decatur outside of Decatur," Garman said. "If we sell it well enough outside, the inside will change by itself.

"The perception of Decatur needs to be the reality, not what it used to be. Too many people see Decatur as what it used to be. Some people still don't see it differently, but a lot of people have. Other people tell me how dramatically it has changed in the last few years."

Administering the city's affairs doesn't consume all of the city manager's time.

Garman enjoys reviewing movies for Decatur Magazine when he's not busy at city hall. He even has brought a Hollywood "crash" course to the city. About 250 city employees filed into Skip Huston's Avon Theatre earlier this year to watch the movie "Crash" as part of the city's diversity training programs.

He still finds time to go scuba diving a few times a year in the Caribbean.

Garman frequently reads literature and has gained some notoriety as an author.

In 1984, Garman won the Bulwer-Lytton fiction contest, a lighthearted competition sponsored by the San Jose State University English department to compose the worst possible sentence to begin a novel.

Garman's winning entry states: "The lovely woman-child Kaa was mercilessly chained to the cruel post of the warrior-chief Beast, with his barbarous tribe now stacking wood at her nubile feet, when the strong, clear voice of the poetic and heroic Handsomas roared, 'Flick your Bic, crisp that chick, and you'll feel my steel through your last meal.' "

The city manager enjoys reading about theoretical physics - big ideas about the beginning and nature of the universe.

He also keeps an eye on the big picture of city government.

"If you're city manager, you're in a position to make positive change," Garman said. "If you've got that opportunity and don't do it, then shame on you if you let that go. That's what I try to do. I try to look at things on a much larger scale."

Mike Frazier can be reached at mfrazier@herald-review.com or 421-7985.