DAYTON DAILY NEWS                   Copyright (c) 1996, Dayton Newspapers Inc.DATE: Tuesday, February 13, 1996             TAG: 9602130020EDITION: CITY           SECTION: METRO       PAGE: 1B TYPE: PROFILESOURCE: By Laura A. Bischoff DAYTON DAILY NEWS                       INTERIM MANAGER GARNERS PRAISE                       PERO EARNS RIGHT TO VIE FOR JOB   Cooking, baking and following a recipe takes too much time and patience. So, Maureen Pero eats carry out or uses the microwave for quick, simple meals.   Pero, Dayton's interim city manager, is known for her impatience.   "She is demanding. She expects you to work. She expects you to produce a product. She doesn't have a lot of patience for bureaucracy. She expects results," said Norm Essman, Dayton's acting economic development director.   Pero is decisive and fair, a good listener and a consensus builder, City Hall observers say. Announcement of her appointment Dec. 13 just after Bill Estabrook's ouster brought applause, handshakes and hugs from her colleagues. Although she promised not to apply for the permanent job, some commissioners consider her a candidate.   As interim city manager, Pero heads a half-billion dollar operation with 3,000 employees, works for five political bosses - the City Commission - and deals with more public scrutiny.   "The media spotlight is difficult to operate under," said Pero, a Youngstown native and the second of four children in an Irish-Catholic family.   Yet she continues to get good reviews.   "I think she is doing terrific. She came in a very difficult time and we haven't really missed a beat," said Human Resources Director Maria Oria, an occasional golf partner of Pero. "She allows me to run the department but we can always go to her to get feedback and get direction."   Union official Tom Ritchie Sr., who had complained about Estabrook's management style, said Pero is thorough, hard-nosed and factual and has already made efforts to communicate with union leaders and employees.   "And she is not influenced by any one individual - myself included," said Ritchie, who is regional director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 8.   City workers say Pero is a welcome change in City Hall after a year under Estabrook when some felt tense, paranoid and out of the loop.   "I used to go down to City Hall and it felt like a place with a huge cloud over it, a black shroud," said Timothy Riordan, deputy aviation director who served as interim city manager for almost a year before Estabrook's arrival inDecember 1994. "The feeling I get when I go to City Hall now is a more relaxedfeeling."   Pero's reputation as a professional extends beyond City Hall. Working on economic development issues since 1989, Pero has gained respect in the business community.   "She is very responsive to the economic needs and opportunities for the area," said Ron Wine, vice president of the Miami Valley Economic Development Coalition.   "We've got a great relationship with her. She is a terrific professional," said Phil Parker, president of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce.   When Pero took the job, she agreed she would not apply for the permanent post. But Commissioner Tony Capizzi has since said Pero may be offered the job. Mayor Mike Turner called such speculation during a national search for a new manager "unfortunate."   Pero has said she is "trying out" the job and still says she will not apply. She has declined further comment.   This has triggered media speculation and comments from residents at commission meetings. One neighborhood activist asked how she could be city manager when she doesn't vote - an inaccurate accusation since the activist had failed to look up her registration under her married name of Dowd. Pero said the incident angered her.   "She is going to have to learn to live with the pressure," Capizzi said.   One of Pero's weaknesses, Capizzi said, is inexperience. She has never directed a large service department such as public works.   But Pero said, "It's a lack of experience but in my career with the city, Ihave worked with those groups."   Pero said she relieves stress by spending time with her sons, Patrick, 6, and Connor, 4, and running 10 to 15 miles a week. She used to exercise at the downtown YMCA but since taking the job, she got a treadmill. Although she has been working 60 hours a week, she said, it's the same work load she put on herself as an attorney and as economic development director.   Most of the commissioners seem pleased with Pero's work, saying city employee morale is improving and that she's a quick study.   "I certainly appreciate the effort she has made in providing information tothe City Commission in a timely manner and keeping us informed," Commissioner Idotha Bootsie Neal said.     -------------------------------------------------------------                             MAUREEN PERO     -------------------------------------------------------------     * Age: 38     * Family status: Married to attorney Edward "Ned" Dowd; two children,      Patrick 6, Connor, 4.     * Education: Law degree and master's in public administration from      University of Dayton.     * City Hall career: Assistant city attorney 1984-88, chief general      counsel 1988-89, Development Services director 1989-93, economic      development director 1893-95, currently interim city manager.     * Major projects: The Landing housing development, U.S. Postal encoding      center downtown, helping establish the Downtown Dayton Partnership,      redevelopment of North Main Street and building an Emery distribution      center at Dayton International Airport.