Candidates for city manager narrowed to six

City council narrowed potential city manager candidates from nine to five, in addition to Tecumseh Economic Development Director Paula Holtz, Monday evening. Two alternatives were also selected. Initially, there were a total of 25 candidates. The Michigan Municipal League (MML) narrowed the field to nine. At Monday’s meeting, each council member voted for their top five.While names of the candidates haven’t been released, the MML provided a small profile of each candidate to council.The profiles provided to council for each candidate follows: Candidate 2: The candidate has a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in accounting from Wayne State University. The candidate has worked in Michigan throughout the candidate’s career. The candidate is currently employed in a federal position with the U.S. Department of Treasury and has been in the position for five years. Previous to the current position, the candidate worked as a finance director in various positions in the public and private sector for 13 years. The candidate also served as a township supervisor for a charter township for eight years. The candidate’s strengths, skills and abilities include the candidate’s work ethics; integrity and experience working with people and resolving issues. The candidate had a good relationship with the township board and was able to garner support for the adoption of the budget and other major projects. The candidate is interested in getting back into local government and the position in Tecumseh is attractive to the candidate. The candidate enjoys working with the public and has a sense of accomplishment working in local government. Current salary: $70,000.Candidate 5: The candidate has a Bachelor of Arts degree in zoology from Miami University and a Master of public administration from Eastern Michigan University. The candidate has an extensive background in economic development and has been responsible for several city departments. The candidate is currently employed in Michigan as Director of Economic and Community Development for four years. Prior to current position, the candidate worked for a large township for nine years as the director of Planning and Economic Development. The candidate works in a community where there is not an assistant city manager. As a result department heads have a great deal of responsibility supervising their departments. The candidate has responsibility for Building and Safety, planning and economic development, and recreation. The candidate is responsible for department operations and capital improvement budgets, and staff supervision. The candidate’s strengths, skills and abilities are the ability to relate to different people and personalities, and the ability to work in partnership with several governmental units. One of the candidate’s accomplishments is bringing in a major company in partnership with the County and State of Michigan. The candidate also has strength in economic development and brings a unique perspective to projects. The candidate is interested in the position because of the location, the amenities in Tecumseh and because of the significance of historic preservation in the city. The candidate lives near the Tecumseh area. Current Salary: $82,000. Candidate 6: The candidate has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and a Master’s of Public Administration Degree from Central Michigan University in East Lansing, Michigan. The candidate is currently employed as an Assistant City Manager/Economic Development Director in a Michigan City for two years. The candidate worked in the same city as Downtown Development Director for four years. Prior to the candidate’s current position, the candidate worked in another city in Michigan as Economic Development and Housing Coordinator for four years. The candidate works directly with the city manager on special assignments and supervises city departments in the absence of the city manager. The candidate’s strengths, skills and abilities is the ability to understand people and complex issues from different perspectives; an excellent public speaker, and is able to address issues without a lot of research. The candidate works well with City Council, departments and with the city manager. The candidate is interested in the Tecumseh position because the candidate is ready to serve as a city manager and believes Tecumseh is a good fit as the next step. The candidate is looking to work in a city where there is the opportunity for a longer tenure than what occurs in most city manager positions. Current Salary: $93,000. Candidate 10: The candidate has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Millersville University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Pennsylvania State University. The candidate is currently employed with a city in Maryland as the City Administrative Officer for three years. The candidate works in a strong mayor form of government and is responsible for the day to day operation of the city. The candidate also served as Assistant City Administrator five years preceding the appointment as City Administrative Officer. Prior to working as the Assistant City Administrator, the candidate was an intern in another community in Pennsylvania. The candidate is familiar with the State of Michigan and how government operates at the local level. The candidate is an ICMA-Credentialed Manager and has participated in the ICMA Emerging Leader Development Program. The candidates’ strengths, skills and abilities include excellent supervisory skills. The candidate has spent the time and effort to do an excellent job with supervising the staff and building an open line of communication. The candidate also has excellent financial management skills. The candidate works hard to maintain a good working relationship with the Mayor and City Council. The candidate keep the City Council informed and maintains an open line of communication with the Council. The candidate is interested in the Tecumseh position because of the size of the city; its functions; and the city’s emphasis on economic development and strategic planning. Current Salary: $94,000.Candidate 13: The candidate has a Bachelor Degree in Business Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Siena Heights University in Adrian Michigan. The candidate has worked primarily in Michigan, but is currently employed in West Virginia. The candidate is looking at returning to Michigan. The candidate has served as city manager in West Virginia for two years. Prior to serving as city manager in West Virginia, the candidate was Township Supervisor for a charter township in Michigan for four years. The candidate also served as a tax assessor for two townships for seven years. The candidate’s strengths, skills and abilities include being able to bring residents together and actively be engaged in the community; experience in community and economic development; and being able to develop and maintain a good relationship with city staff. The candidate is interested in the city manager position in Tecumseh because of the quality of life attributes of the city. Current Salary: $92,000.Candidate 9: The candidate has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s of Arts Degree in Organizational Leadership from Lewis University. The candidate is currently employed in a city in Illinois as City Administrator for five years. Previous to the current position, the candidate was employed in another city administrator position for four years and in several public safety positions for approximately twenty years. The candidate retired from public safety and began a career in city management. The candidate’s strengths, skills and abilities include working in smaller communities; being a consensus builder; and having a reputation for being the “go to” person. The candidate also believes a major strength is having a substantial amount of experience in public safety. The candidate has a good relationship with the current city council and continues to have a good relationship after leaving employment. The candidate is interested in the position because the community and position is consistent with the candidate’s professional goals. Current Salary: $100,000.Candidate 15: The candidate has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Lawrence Technological University in Management and a Juris Doctorate with Honors from Detroit College of Law. The candidate previously worked as a city manager in Michigan for three years and in another city in Michigan as a city manager for four years. Previous to these assignments, the candidate was a supervisor for a charter township for twelve years. The candidate’s contract was terminated without an explanation from the city council. The candidate had a good relationship during employment with the city. The candidate’s strengths, skills and abilities is being creative, being able to multi-task, works well with staff and being involved in the community. As a city manager, the candidate has been involved in labor negotiations, writing grants and grants administration, and served as the director for the Downtown Development Authority. Current Salary: $100,000.After the votes were tallied and candidates selected, council decide interviews would be Thursday, Oct 15. The meeting would start at 8 a.m., to address any concerns about the questions council members could ask during the interview process. The first interview was scheduled to being at 8:30 a.m. with Holtz. Council left the rest of the interview order up to Tecumseh City Clerk Jessica Emrick. Each following interview would begin one hour, fifteen minutes later, with a 45-minute lunch between interviews three and four. Interview times are tentatively 8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. An alternative interview date would be offered if the candidates were unable to attend October 15.While each councilmember was able to vote for five candidates, some chose to select fewer. The breakdown in votes follows:Councilmember Gary Fox selected candidates 2, 5, 6 and 13. Councilmember Stephanie Harmon chose candidates 2, 5, 10 and 13.Mayor Jack Baker, along with council members Gary Naugle, Vicki Philo and Laurence Van Alstine Jr., selected candidate 2, 5, 6, 10 and 13. Candidate 2, 6, 9, 10 and 15 were selected by councilmember Ron Wimple. Candidate 2 had seven votes, while Candidate 5, 6, 10 and 13 each received six votes. Candidate. Candidate 9 and 15 each received one vote. Council also decided to provide each candidate up to $500 for travel expenses, if they chose to accept it. They would have to present receipts to justify the expenses. Responding to public comments at the end of the meeting, Baker said the decision on which candidate council would extend an offer to for the position would be made at the October 19 meeting. If for some reason not all the candidates could be interviewed before that date, Baker said the decision would likely be made November 2.