Posted on Thu, Nov 5, 2009 : 8:42 p.m.
Pittsfield Township man won't be Monroe County's next administrator
By AnnArbor.com Staff
The Monroe County Board of Commissioners decided Tuesday to end negotiations with a former Washtenaw County commissioner chosen as that county's next administrator.
The Monroe Evening News reported the board took the action in a 6-3 vote to end negotiations with Robert Brackenbury of Pittsfield Township.
According to the story, the negotiations came to an impasse over salary and other differences. Brackenbury was asking for $121,000 and the county was willing to pay $108,000.
Brackenbury, 44, a current Michigan assistant attorney general, served on the Washtenaw County board from 2003 to 2006 and is the husband of Pittsfield Township Supervisor Mandy Grewal.
Comments
MonroeSky
Tue, Jan 5, 2010 : 10:10 p.m.
Down here in Monroe, it is well known that we have an active good old boys network. Decisions dont get made unless you are willing to tow the old boys line (and hire a few of their family members or friends and often!). The blog consensus down here is that this fellow was extremely qualified and wise to make certain contract demands. Otherwise he was going to have his hands tied and likely get nowhere with the budget deficits. Not brinksmanship just plain protecting himself. If anyone wants to see whether Monroe County really needed a strong leader, look no further than how they ended up solving their budget deficit this December. Oh, they just decided to transfer millions of dollars out of our Monroe retiree pension funds to balance the budget, thats all. We'll pay dearly down the road on this one. Enjoy your Washtenaw.
Justiceforsome
Tue, Dec 8, 2009 : 12:50 p.m.
Brackenbury wanted a just-cause golden parachute and benefits that were outside the range of what Monroe County offered other employees. According to Monroe County Commissioners, Brackenbury used brinkmanship in negotiations (pushing a dangerous situation to the verge of disaster to achieve the most advantageous outcome) rather than leadership. (See Monroe News & Toledo Blade)