Ashley Combs has taken the reigns as Middletown’s acting city manager ... the redevelopment of the largely empty Towne Mall purchased by the city last summer for $10 million.

Middletown purchased the zombie mall, near Interstate 75 in Butler County, for $10 million in June. The city asked residents to submit ideas for redeveloping the site in a survey that closed Friday.

Since taking over as Middletown's city manager in July of 2022, Lolli oversaw several key projects around the city, including park improvements, the Towne Mall purchase and the Home Improvement ...