Elle O'Connell Hired to Replace Retiring Mickie Jo Bennett as Saline's Treasurer

Elle O'Connell will replace the retiring Mickie Jo Bennett as Treasurer of the City of Saline.

Bennett has served the City of Saline for 36 years. Saline City Council voted unanimously to appoint O'Connell to the post.

O'Connell comes to Saline from the City of Howell, where she had been finance director and treasurer since December of 2021. She began her career at Plante Moran as an auditor and worked in the public and non-profit sector.

"We are extremely fortunate to have identified a candidate who brings a wealth of experience, not just in the private sector, but the public sector, to this position that I think will be of immense value to us as we continue to grow as a community," City Manager Colleen O'Toole said.

Councillors Dean Girbach and Dawn Krause joined O'Toole, retired police dispatcher Don Terry and longtime banker Scott Fosdick on the search committee. The group spent five weeks considering and interviewing candidates and reached a unanimous consensus to recommend O'Connell for the job.

"It is going to be very difficult to fill Mickie Jo's shoes, she's done so much for our city. Her background is all across all types of government accounting, from Plante Moran, to Genessee County, to the City of Howell and even herself being an entrepreneur," Girbach said. "I look forward to all the different ideas you can bring forward - specifically from the perspective of the issues she's faced in Genessee County, such as water expansion."

O'Connell is a graduate of the Michigan State University Eli Broad School of Business and is working on her master's in public administration at Eastern Michigan University.

O'Connell said she was excited, thrilled and humbled to continue to work done by Treasurer Bennett.

"I look forward to being able to provide you with wonderful, useful, reliable and fantastic information from a financial perspective and leading you forward into the next generation of technology and everything else coming our way right now," O'Connell said.

As treasurer, O'Connell will make $102,124 plus benefits. Her employment begins June 6.