Elle Cole Tops Boyne City List, Finalist in Adrian

Elle Cole, the acting city manager in Saline, is the top choice for the city manager in Boyne City. She's also one of the candidates in for the city administrator job in Adrian, according to Doug Spade of LocalBuzz Radio in Lenawee County.

Spade says Cole is one of five candidates who will be considered for the Adrian job on Aug. 14. Spade also noted that she has not pulled out of the Adrian interview despite being the top choice in Boyne City after a meeting Aug. 1. The Boyne Commission could offer the job to Cole Aug. 12.

Cole was hired by the city as treasurer in 2022. In 2024, she added Deputy City Manager to her title. In early 2024 and late 2025, city council forced City Manager Colleen O'Toole from her post. When she resigned, Cole was named acting city manager. The hiring committee's decision not to recommend Cole as one of the final four candidates for city manager became a local political controversy. That controversy shapes some of the political alliances we see today and helps shape the 2025 city elections.

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