Saline City Council Debates Plans to Replace Departing City Manager

Saline City Council debated plans to replace departing City Manager Todd Campbell at Monday's special meeting, held remotely over a Zoom call.

Among the issue council considered:

• Composition of a transition team that will help the interim city manager and department heads lead the city.
• Does the city need to search for an interim city manager or use the assistant city manager on an interim basis?
• Composition of the city manager search team.

Mayor Brian Marl presented a plan that he and Mayor Pro-Tem Dean Girbach had worked on ahead of the meeting.

Marl's plan was to name Assistant City Manager Mike Greene as the interim City Manager during the search for a city manager. Green would be supported by a transition team that included Police Chief Hart, Parks and Recreation Director Carl Scruggs, City Treasurer Mickie Jo Bennett, Marl and Girbach.

Marl then proposed the establishment of a hiring committee to find a city manager with the help of a third party. The proposed committee would include three council members, two members of city staff, a city manager from elsewhere in Washtenaw County and a private citizen. The final candidates would be interviewed in public. It was Marl's hope council might be in a position to consider finalists by the end of the summer or early fall.

Marl's plan drew questions from Council members before the meeting began. In the Saline Posts Facebook Group, Councillor Christen Mitchell recommended if Marl's plan is adopted, Greene not be given a raise, but a stipend. Mitchell also seemed to take issue with putting Marl and Girbach on the transition team committee, suggesting other council members should be included. She repeated the point during the meeting Monday.

Also on Monday, Councillor Janet Dillon sent council her own proposal, which differed from Marl's in several ways.

On the issue of a transition team, she suggested a council member replace either Marl or Girbach on the team. Marl agreed to a compromise on this by bumping Dillon from an alternate to a full member of the team. Council showed support for Marl's compromise.

The major in Dillon's proposal was that she only appointed Greene as interim city manager for 30 days. In Dillon's plan, the city would immediately begin searching for an interim city manager and a permanent city manager.

This became the major source of debate.

With Councillors Dillon, Mitchell, Kevin Camero-Sulak and Jim Dell'Orco on one side, and Marl, Girbach and Councillor Jack Ceo on the other, there was a familiar split on council. It was the same split that led to the resignation of City Manager Todd Campbell and the same split on the debate over human resources manager.

Marl, Girbach and Ceo argued that Mike Greene, employed as the Assistant City Manager and Community Development Director since December, was up to the task of leading the city operations on an interim basis.

Girbach said he came to the conclusion after talking to staff, department heads and Greene.

"From Mike Greene's perspective, he has experience. There's going to be some learning on the job. I'm glad Mr. Greene is willing to step forward," Girbach said.

Green said he felt ready for the role. He noted that he had been Village Manager in Three Oaks before coming to Saline.

"I have been a manager before. I understand the role. And with this amazing team of department heads in the city, I feel confident in our ability to keep the city moving forward," Greene told council.

Marl's plan was also supported by the department heads who were going to serve on the committee.

"I am confident in my teammates. We will be able to step up and fulfill the obligations to support Mike and support each other," Hart told council. 

Bennett and Scruggs also issued statements of support for the plan.

The majority of council was not convinced.

Dillon argued that using Green as interim manager could saddle him with an "overwhelming workload" and "set him up to fail." Dillon said she was wary of the mayor's aggressive timeline and concerned about what a prolonged search would mean for overburdened staff.

She recommended using Greene in the role for 30 days but using Michigan Municipal League resources to have an interim manager in place by the start of August.

Councillor Kevin Camero-Sulak questioned Greene about his tenure in Saline (he hasn't been here long), about the population of Three Oaks (about 1/5th of Saline's size) about the number of staff he managed (about 1/6th Saline's number of employees).

"How confident are you that you can manage a city multiple times larger? Is it fair to you? Is it what's best for the city?" Camero-Sulak asked.

Greene said he felt confident in his ability to handle the role.

"Everything that was happening there is happening here, just on a smaller scale. We had the same issues," Greene said.

Greene said that he thought when he was hired that stepping into the city manager's role might always happen. He didn't believe it would happen so soon.

Dell'Orco, Mitchell and Dillon both expressed concern that some of Greene's community development work might suffer if he took the larger role. Mitchell said that during these difficult economic times, the city needed a community development director dedicated to those duties.

Marl said he was ready to pitch in if Green needed assistance.

Girbach said since council accepted Campbell's resignation, it ought to be prepared for the idea that some tasks might not be completed. He said it will be up to department heads and council to help the city prioritize.

Girbach suggested the city could rely on Saline Main Street and the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce to assist the city in serving the concerns of businesses.

Marl also disputed Dillon's timeline. He said it could take six to eight weeks to vet an interim city manager, and by the time they get up to speed, the city will be preparing to hire the permanent city manager.

Councillor Jack Ceo said he thought Dillon's proposal was another "here-we-go-again" situation where the city throws cash out the door and creates another committee.

"I'd like to do this as expeditiously and economically as possible," Ceo said.

It appears Marl's plan would cost the city about $1,000 a month in extra payment to Greene. 

It's not clear what Dillon's plan would cost. But an interim city manager can expect to make around $1,600-2,000 a week.

In the end, though no votes were taken, council agreed to strike a hiring committee and work with a consultant on hiring a city manager. That motion will appear on the agenda for the July 6 meeting.

Council also agreed with the notion of establishing a transition team that would include Dillon, Girbach and Marl. Mitchell said she was not comfortable with that point. Marl said the team would begin meeting this week.

On the third point, a majority of council was in favor of starting with Greene as "temporary interim" manager, but also simultaneously beginning a search for an interim manager.  Expect to hear more about this proposal July 6.

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