Elle Cole Back in Contention for Saline's City Manager Job

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Acting City Manager Elle Cole is back in contention for the Saline city manager's job.
Saline City Council voted 5-2 to add Cole to a second round of council interviews. She joins Jason Smith, Belleville City Manager, and Dan Swallow, Tecumseh City Manager.

The interviews are expected next week.

Councillors Janet Dillon, Dean Girbach, Jenn Harmount, Nicole Rice and Chuck Lesch voted "yes" on Harmount's motion, amended by Dillon and approved by council, to add Cole to the process. Mayor Brian Marl and Councillor Jack Ceo voted against the motion.

Smith and Swallow were two of four finalists recommended to city council by a hiring committee that included Marl, Rice and Chuck Lesch. The recommendation caused consternation on council and in the community, especially downtown, because it did not include Cole, who has been acting city manager since Colleen O'Toole resigned in January.

During public comment, Libby Williams, Main Street Executive Director Mary Dettling, and Fine Print Bookshop owner Bill Gibson spoke in favor of including Cole in the process. Joanne Dence, of Whitepine Studio, Celia Fellin, Yogacentric, and Renee Fonseca, ModSquad Salon, submitted messages supporting Cole that were read into the record.

Council's discussion began with Marl providing his take on the background.

He said he felt Smith and Swallow were the ideal fit and spoke about how great organizations "rally around their leaders." 

"It's becoming increasingly clear to me that one of these two gentlemen will be the best ideal fit to lead our city long term," Marl said.

He opened the discussion to council.

Councillor Harmount said she's been frustrated by the process.

"My problem is that we need to be able to trust but also verify details behind the logic of the decision. I've asked and asked and asked, but I've never really received an answer about how the candidates were valued and weighted," Harmount said.

Instead, she said, she received information about how the recommended candidates were "good" and "great."

She made a motion to have council interview Cole to the interview process and immediately interview her. Her motion was seconded by Girbach. Harmount's motion appeared to have council asking Cole the same questions asked by the four finalists three weeks ago.

Marl said Harmount's comment about the process contained "misinformation." He said he emailed council the criteria he used to judge candidates on May 19.

Harmount disagreed.

"The information that I received does not identify how the criteria was weighted, how it was measured, and evaluated in a quantifiable way," Harmount said.

Marl stood his ground.

"But that's different than not providing it," he said.

When Harmount pushed back, Marl said.

"Hold on. You may disagree with my judgment and the metrics that were used. But I provided that to you almost a month ago, so I just want to be clear on that," Marl said.

Rice said she was fully confident that she shared as much as she could.

Dillon said she hoped the committee could provide information about how candidates were ranked and brought forward..

Jack Ceo said he was voting against Harmount's motion.

"We delegated the authority to the committee that was appointed to come forward with the four candidates and they did so. I have full faith and confidence in tudgment that they use to make the decision that they brought forth," Ceo said.

Girbach said he wanted Cole to be interviewed for the position.

"Based upon having worked directly in the capacity as council representative to risk, finance, audit and the transition team, I am satisfied she meets the minimum requirements and with their practical and relevant experience meets the additional requirements desired of the preferred final candidates," Girbach said.

Marl said he would not support Harmount's motion.

"I believe in the fidelity of and have faith in the process," he said.

Dillon said she wanted to bring back the candidates still in the process and add Cole

Marl asked Dillon if she was suggesting bringing back Smith and Swallow and including Cole for interviews at a special meeting.

Marl then asked Girbach and Harmount if that was a friendly amendment.

Rice and Lesch voted in favor of the amended motion.

Before her vote, Rice explained her decision, saying a lot of the controversy could have been avoided.

"I stated about three weeks ago, when this first conversation started, that if my council colleagues wanted to put forth something different, I would support that simply because we are a council, and we're making the best decision for the city. What has happened over the last few weeks was, in my opinion, completely unnecessary," Rice said. "It's unfortunate that there's this gray cloud over top of it, but I will support my colleagues today."

Marl stood by his decision not to advance Cole to the final four.

" I think it's important to be upfront and honest on these types of issues. Foundationally,  leadership is grounded in telling people the truth, not placating, not infantilizing, not telling you what you want to hear, but telling you the truth as I see it," Marl said.

Details about why the committee chose not to advance Cole have not been stated to The Saline Post, other than that they felt the four candidates who were advanced, including two without city manager experience, were better options.

Over the past few weeks, there have been more questions about the hiring committee and its processes. Some have asked why a committee would include subordinates of the acting city manager and if that put Cole at a disadvantage.

The city and its hiring consultant will reach out to the candidates to schedule the interview and assure they are still interested in the position.

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Given all the angst, mistrust, innuendo, as well as apparent desire by some council members to have specific shortcoming of some of the other candidates as understood by the Committee put on public display, were I one of the other candidates still in the running, I would be giving serious consideration to saying "thanks for the opportunity, no longer interested".  As with much that has happened in Saline and elsewhere, none of this non fact-based angst is in the best interest of the City in the short or long term.  

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Wow.  Ali has definitely drank the Marl Kool Aid.  Very ironic that any time Marl is questioned you supply unwavering support for the Mayor regardless of the facts. Curious how your rhetoric sounds exactly like his 🤔

Marl is Saline’s Trump (his way or the highway) and just like in DC, people are wising up about him.  
The Mayor’s ego has been threatened and he is really showing his true colors.  Ms. Cole perhaps uncovered some improprieties that he doesn’t want public???  Regardless, it’s blatantly obvious that he has personal issues with Ms. Cole and is desperately trying to cover up.  I am ashamed of what is going on in this city that I call home.

There are No Kings Brian. 
 

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Oh goodness.  It is not a matter of supporting or not supporting Marl.  It is a matter of not supporting those who engage in unfounded and unsupported attacks and fuel the fans of controversy and division with unfounded attacks and innuendo.  Unfortunately, there is so much of that garbage going on at the Federal level it seems to be seeping into our local representation as well and is so incredibly corrosive.  If pointing out that Marl is being targeted for the decisions and actions of a committee which he sat on is wrong, then I guess we are wrong.  If folks have concern, it should be with the committee and not just one member of it and it should be based on fact not innuendo.  These personnel issues become tricky.  There is a line that cannot be crossed in terms of information that can be made public.  And please, if Cole "had something" on Marl (or anyone else) you can't seriously believe that she would not bring it forward (and if she has something and is not bringing it forward then you don't want her as City Manager!).  So please stop equating a desire to have folks stop governing by innuendo and attack which only divides with supporting any single individual.                

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“If pointing out that Marl is being targeted for the decisions and actions of a committee which he sat on is wrong, then I guess we are wrong.” On more than one occasion, including the city council meeting on Monday, Mayor Marl has referred to these men as “his candidates,” “his choices,” and even claimed in an interview with Tran that he put them forth to the committee. If he is going to continue claiming these are all his decisions, then he will get the brunt of the backlash. I personally DO think the blame is on the entire committee. The fact that the two council members on the committee voted in favor of adding Cole means they are open to the possibility that they missed something. The Mayor never apologizes, and won’t be questioned without becoming immediately defensive. That is incongruous behavior for a leader.

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Ms. Williams - respectfully, please stop saying things that are demonstrably false. Feel free to re-watch my interview from last Thursday, I never said, "I put them forth to the committee" - I didn't. Our Hiring Committee had several robust discussions, and the *committee* unanimously agreed to recommend four finalists to City Council, including Mr. Saums, Mr. Tremblay, Mr. Swallow, and Mr. Smith. They were selected due to their impressive resumes, initial screening activities, and significant experience managing large teams, executing substantial, multi-dimensional projects, and overseeing large municipal/public budgets. As you know, we have scheduled another round of interviews, and I am looking forward to additional Q&A early next week. If you have further questions or concerns regarding the process, you are welcome to email my office and/or schedule a meeting. My office email is bmarl@salinemi.gov. Have a great afternoon --

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Mayor Marl,

The entire 14 minute long live Facebook interview is available on the Saline Post page. Here are the highlights I was referring to:

Minute 0:41

Marl: “My vote was to recommend those four individuals I thought were best suited to lead the city of Saline for the ensuing years.”

Reporter: “Those are YOUR four candidates?”

Marl: (nods) “Those are my candidates.”

Reporter: “And they (committee) all agreed with your four candidates?

Marl: (nods) “There was agreement on those four candidates, yes.”

Minutes 3:52 Marl:

“I recommended - I voted to forward the four people I thought were best suited to lead this community in the ensuing years. I have now reduced that number to two, based on our community tours, lunch, our public open house, interviews, and our mock department meetings.”

Minute 5:37 [Marl to reporter]:

“You’re not the elected official, if you want to answer the questions you can run for mayor.”

You clearly stated, multiple times, that they are YOUR candidates. Tran even repeated it back to you for confirmation. You quickly changed wording from “recommend” to “voted” the second time, but then took credit for reducing the number to two.

You then became irate when Tran kept pushing. The comment insinuating that only the Mayor or elected officials are allowed to speak was appalling and misguided.

All of this is clearly visible in the live video. It is demonstrably accurate.

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Not surprising, you didn't address or comment on the thrust of my argument - when did I say, "I put them forth to the committee"? I didn't, the assertion you made is false. You are entitled to your own opinions here, but not your own facts. I attended every hiring committee meeting, you did not. The recommendation was unanimous, based upon contributions from *all eight committee members* - the finalists were recommended by the full committee. You are arguing semantics here. Lastly, I'm not irate today, nor was I a week ago Thursday when I spoke to Tran, (feel free to rewatch the video yet again) - seems like you might be the one having the hyperbolic response to these issues. Enjoy your evening -

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Not surprisingly, you deflected. I’m not interested in the “thrust of your argument,” I’m interested in what you actually said, which is why the phrase “he put them forth to the committee" Is NOT is quotation marks as a direct statement from you in any of my comments until right now.

I paraphrased your ACTUAL words, which are listed each time in quotation marks. You literally said, “those are my candidates,” and “I have now reduced that number to two.” You will take credit for the actions of a group, but not accept the criticisms of those actions and decisions.

I previously stated that I do hold the entire hiring committee responsible for this matter. I simply pointed out that if one person chooses to claim the majority decisions as his own, then the consequences will fall disproportionately on them as well.

I feel the motion set by Council member Harmount was an opportunity for those on the committee to acknowledge the concerns and requests of the community and revise their decision. It shows that leaders listen to the people, consider their views, and perhaps most importantly- it shows that leaders are not infallible. Apologies and concessions exhibit empathy and foster trust among the people.

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Hi Libby,

Your words - "to acknowledge the concerns and requests of the community and revise their decision". Your words, these specific words imply that the entire community of Saline shares a singular view that aligns with yours (it does not) while also failing to acknowledge the additional step covered by this article, the interview of final candidates, which took place in response to concerns raised by SOME in the community though not the entire community. 

Now let's take a look at another interpretation which can be drawn from the words "these are my candidates". As we all know, a Committee was involved in narrowing the selections. Absent majority vote of that Committee for any one of the final candidates, they would not have moved forward whether the Mayor voted for them or not. If so inclined, one could take Marl's comments to be a matter of transparency sharing how he voted with the citizens of Saline when pared with the understanding that ultimately the majority vote, not the Mayor alone, determined the final candidates. Your interpretation as suggested by your comment can be taken to imply the other members of the Committee comprising the majority vote were derelict in performing their duty by not voting for the candidates they deemed best for the City. To be clear, absent Committee majority, whether the Mayor preferred one candidate over another, whether they were "his" candidate of choice, becomes immaterial-no majority Committee vote, the candidate does not move forward, even if preferred by the Mayor. So, as he chose to share, we now know who he voted for (who also happen to be who the majority voted for and unless the others were derelict in their duties also reflects who the majority felt were the best candidates for Saline).

There are those who will surely comment that this post is about supporting the Mayor. It is not. I neither support nor have a problem with the Mayor on a holistic basis.  What I am is sick and tired of the fighting, the innuendo, the absolutely unfounded attacks, the apparent desire and willingness to stir mistrust and controversy over something that is nothing.

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There is a VERY big difference between asking questions and slinging unfounded allegations.  You or anyone else would not tolerate that headed your way and nor should anyone in public service have to.  Watched the video and it seems at least some of the comments in your post fall into that category. Sadly, it has become normalized to the point that productive dialogue becomes increasingly unlikely and only division is achieved.  Sad state of affairs.

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I agree. Non-fact based innuendo is what kept Ms. Cole out of the process in the first place. However, pointing out that some of the candidates have no city manager experience is not “putting shortcomings on display.”  I agree that the other candidates may look at this entire situation and think it is not worth their time; as I mentioned, the optics aren’t good.😌  

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She had a job that she was **** good at and then stepped into the interim city manager position.  The city decided to fill her old position and then disqualifies her for city manager so she has nothing left to go back to?  And that's not "actionable?" Please. 

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Well good news.  She is returning to the Treasurer position which she apparently did a very good job with.  So, I guess there is something for her to go back to after all.

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