Former Ann Arbor administrator abruptly resigns from new job as metroparks director
Jayne Miller, a former administrator for the city of Ann Arbor, unexpectedly quit her new job as director of the Detroit area's metroparks on Thursday.
Jayne Miller
Oakland County's Daily Tribune reports that Miller "dropped a bombshell" by abruptly resigning after receiving a sour reception from the Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority board for her long-term plan for the agency.
In a special meeting held by the seven-member HCMA board on Wednesday, Miller presented her plan. On Thursday, the board convened again and, after a closed-door session, announced Miller had tendered her resignation, the Tribune reported.
“From the point of view of the board, the reaction was negative. It was a sweeping reorganization plan,” HCMA board member John Hertel told the Tribune.
Miller, who previously headed up Ann Arbor's Community Services Area, announced earlier this year that she was leaving the city to become executive director of the Brighton-based HCMA. Immediately before leaving, Miller was involved in work with the Ann Arbor Housing Commission on a plan to revamp the commission's business operations.
The Tribune reported Miller was hired in March to help the HCMA navigate rough waters, with costs up and property tax revenues down.
In her short-lived tenure with the authority, Miller was responsible for oversight of 13 metroparks covering almost 24,000 acres that serve about 9 million visitors annually. The parks are located along the Huron and Clinton rivers, providing a greenbelt around the Detroit metropolitan area.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
behappy
Mon, Sep 13, 2010 : 7:07 a.m.
The Metroparks are a great place to visit. Did anyone of the commissioners ever stress to the in house employees what they really wanted? Did they check out Jayne Millers credituals? What had she, herself, achieved? What did she ACTUALLY do at the city of Ann Arbor? How many consultants has she contracted out, using people's tax monies? Why would she look for a job with only 3 years left for her City of Ann Arbor full pension? These are all questions that get you wondering what lies were told to the commissioners in the interviews. The Metroparks deserve credit for not allowing this person to take over. Metroparks are a great place to visit and I for one love to see the staff smiling when I go there.
Brad
Sat, Sep 11, 2010 : 8:55 a.m.
Let's see... after her tenure here there is some talk of privatizing and/or selling our city golf courses. Maybe she presented that same plan to HCMA.
KJMClark
Sat, Sep 11, 2010 : 7:13 a.m.
There are more clues than that! HCMA is facing a significant budget shortfall (9.7% drop in revenues, with more to follow), they have always hired insiders before, the Deputy Director wanted the job, they were upset she was focusing on operations not finance, and she only got through part of the presentation. That looks to me like they were expecting someone to come in and give them the magic elixir to greater revenues so they could avoid staffing cuts. She came in, read the economic situation that clearly said no revenue increases, and concentrated on operations, which would mean staff reductions and other cuts. Parks operations was her main area in Ann Arbor, so she knows very well what positions are necessary. But since it had always been the practice to hire within, it was only a slim majority that had voted for an outside hire anyway. The rest of the Board was strongly in favor of the Deputy Director that they knew well and liked. When Ms. Miller gave them the economic reality, the vocal minority howled that it was ridiculous, cut too much, and she should have explained how to correct their lack of revenue problem. She just saw that the current Board wasn't ready to deal with economic reality and decided the best option was to let their ship sink without her. Look for some Board resignations in the near future, then a scandal about the HCMA budget "crisis" in a year or two.
Jeff Gaynor
Sat, Sep 11, 2010 : 6:01 a.m.
Only speculation so far. The only paragraph in the Tribune Article that gives a hint:: "I dont know why she did what she did, said Hertel, who also serves as general manager of the SMART bus system. The plan she presented was disturbing. It placed a tremendous emphasis on operations, and not nearly as much on finances."
Craig Lounsbury
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 2:07 p.m.
"From the point of view of the board, the reaction was negative. It was a sweeping reorganization plan," Maybe a "sweeping reorganization plan," wasn't needed. Maybe some serious tweaking was in order.
HaeJee
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 1:51 p.m.
I think it says a lot of their board members. They hired her to do a job. If they could not come to a middle group and place trust in the person they hired, it says a lot about their leadership style.
MyOpinion
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 1:46 p.m.
Then again I would imagine lots of our high paid city employees might not do well in other venues. What if they couldn't hire a consultant but actually had to create a report/recommendations on their own. Maybe this was Miller's first solo authored report.
John Q
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 1:08 p.m.
HCMA isn't "Oakland County". Most of the MetroParks are located outside of Oakland County.
xmo
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 11:29 a.m.
Maybe what's good in Washtenaw County isn't good in Oakland County.
Stephen Landes
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 11:27 a.m.
I have no idea how "broken" HCMA is or what was contained in the proposed reorganization plan. I do know some of the parks and find them to be wonderful. Whatever the reorg plan was I wonder if it would have preserved or enhanced the parks as I know them?
Gill
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.
Yeah, top down reorganizations by outsiders with little knowledge of the day to day workings and connectivities. Look how well that worked for the U of M football team...
81wolverine
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 10:28 a.m.
Without knowing the details of her proposal to the HCMA board, it's reasonable to assume it "upset the apple cart" in a number of ways. Some of these municipal boards can be very anti-change, that's for sure. And when they hire an "outsider" who is not beholden to the old ways of doing things, it can be a difficult process for all parties. It sounds like it shouldn't have been a complete "bombshell" to the board based on how they reacted to the plan.
Alan Benard
Fri, Sep 10, 2010 : 9:59 a.m.
I'm guessing that her re-organization would have gored a few of the board members' oxen, and placed the board in a more-appropriate advisory role. Because if you hire someone to take charge and then grump when they do, you're probably a micromanaging board member. Any exec-direct with any self-respect and brains would then run like hell. Walking away from the plainly dysfunctional AA Housing Commission (see http://arborweb.com/articles/housing_commission_coup.html) proves Miller's good sense.