Opinion: How the Saline City Manager Search Went Wrong

The people we elect to lead us don't often have the courage to speak truth. There's always some other consideration that rates higher.

Take the latest kerfuffle over the hiring of a new city manager in the City of Saline. Nobody that I've spoken to has any issue with the newly hired manager, Dan Swallow. Everything I've read and everything I have been told suggests that's a good hire by city council.

But, oh, how we got there.

Let's start by reminding everyone that Colleen O'Toole was forced from the city manager job in January. Why? Nobody would say, honestly.

At the time, Elle Cole was a rising figure in the city. She'd started as treasurer. She'd recently been promoted with the addition of Deputy City Manager to her title. She'd made allies downtown with the way she'd taken the lead and navigated a strict timeline on the public space project on the Kinley property. She was briskly appointed Acting City Manager as the city began its "nationwide" search for a city manager, spending thousands of dollars on a consultant to help the city.

Without doing a deep dive into Cole's resume, I assumed she was a frontrunner for the job. City council members talked her up. Downtown business owners sang her praises. Main Street officials and volunteers loved Cole.

My thought at the time was, don't waste the money on a consultant. Give her a chance to do the job.

But city council had a chance to waste money, so it did.

On May 19 - a full seven days after the hiring committee selected the final four candidates - the city issued a press release announcing the four finalists. The town was now inviting the public, at the last second, to participate in "community engagement activities" during workday hours, 48 hours later, and somehow provide public feedback. (If this doesn't tell you how little the city values public feedback, nothing will.)

Despite Mayor Marl's laughable claim that the process resulted in a great final four candidates from a stupendous selection of applicants, it was clear there was only one candidate for the Saline job in that foursome - Dan Swallow. 

Swallow lives in Saline. He had years of experience as Manager of Tecumseh. So, he's got perseverance. He's able to handle a town our size facing many similar issues - and doing pretty well. Two others had no experience as a city manager. The other was a guy with experience in smaller towns (and, we found out, was getting fired from his current job.).

A few thoughts struck me, almost instantly.

All four candidates were white males. That looked odd from a city with females as Acting City Manager, Police Chief, Engineer, etc. Whatever, I try not to let superficial considerations infect my thinking.

But where's Elle Cole? You're telling me these other three candidates were better than the woman doing the job right now? The "Where's Elle" question was being asked all over town. In downtown businesses. In offices of key property owners. At the city council table.

The process was rigged. Despite Cole having support on the hiring committee, Brian Marl and Councillor Nicole Rice worked to keep Cole out of the initial final four. Only weeks before the final recommendation to the city, members of council were being told Cole was doing well. But Marl already had his choice. Out of that final four, Swallow was the only choice, in my view. So, a final four that included Cole would create a groundswell of support for her and could make her a favorite for the job.

I wish we'd just let the city council truly interview and consider the best candidates for the job. By the time Councillors Dean Girbach, Jenn Harmount and Janet Dillon forced Cole into the interview process, council was dug in.

It was a ham-fisted rigging only slightly less damaging than Marl's attempts to terminate Fire Chief Sperle last year. Why does Marl behave like this? Who knows? Marl runs a great meeting and is a tremendous representative of the city at civic events, but the flipside is you get real ugliness from time to time. That's Mayor Marl, like him or not. He seems, just for fun, to play big city games in a small town.

Why did Rice join him? That's a mystery. She ruined her reputation as a supporter of downtown. And for what? To satisfy the city employees who should never have been placed on the hiring committee to begin with?

Maybe losing Cole will be something the city regrets. Or maybe Swallow will take the city to new heights. Or, most likely, the average City of Saline resident won't even notice. But for engaged residents who volunteer for hiring committees, join boards and commissions, participate in public processes, and pay attention to city news, this ordeal shakes just a little more faith in the city's leadership.

Lastly, here's my request to city council candidates. If you're running to be Mayor Marl's ally or enemy, you've got time to change and be your own person. And if you win, stay out of the nonsense.

And, tell the truth whenever possible. If you can't, why bother?

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