Posted on Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 5:30 p.m.
Ypsilanti City Council set to begin interviewing for vacant city manager position
By Tom Perkins
The Ypsilanti Council will begin interviewing candidates to permanently fill the vacant city manager's position.
City Clerk Frances McMullan has been serving as the interim city manager since the previous interim city manager the city hired quit after a week.
City Council will interview candidates between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m on April 26 and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m on April 27. The interviews will take place in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1 S. Huron St.
Among the candidates are :
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Darrell Fecho, who has served as township manager in Brighton and Scio Townships.
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Ralph Lange, who served as director of the Monroe County Road Commission.
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Frances McMullan, the current Ypsilanti City Clerk and interim City Manager.
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Jered Ottenwess, who served as city manager in Trenton, FL.
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Brian Vick, a former city manager in Grosse Pointe Shores.
Former City Manager Ed Koryzno departed for a position with the state treasury office in January. Interim City Manager John Hansen abruptly quit after he was accused of harassing a city employee, and McMullan took over as interim city manager after that.
Comments
Mark Hergott
Sat, Apr 28, 2012 : 1:20 a.m.
I believe in Frances McMullan!
Galileo2000
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 11:04 p.m.
I agree with YpsiVeteran but with only five candidates to be interviewed I wonder if any of them will really be up to the task. Ms. McMullan is indeed an wonderful person but I too am concerned about her lack of experience, especially in these very difficult financial times. Add to that the handling of a mountain of work with income taxes and this is just a big concern. We need someone very experienced, but then one has to wonder why would a very experienced City Manager want to come to Ypsilanti in these tough times. At this point I will have to put my faith in the City Council to make a really good decision independent of any pressures including those reportedly being brought on my Mr. Toosen. This decision has to be about experience and competency, a decision that each can stand up to.
greg, too
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 3:48 a.m.
3.5 hours to interview five candidates for one of the most important positions in the city? The hardly seems adequate for such an important decision. Why the rush?
YpsiVeteran
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 : 10:30 p.m.
I sincerely hope the Ypsi City Council does not give serious consideration to any candidate that does not have extensive experience as a city manager. Ms. McMullan has served well as city clerk, and has stepped up to help when called upon to fill in for the city manager, but she is not qualified to hold the job permanently in the situation Ypsi currently finds itself, and neither is someone who was director of a road commission. Are these interviews open to public observation?
ahi
Fri, Apr 27, 2012 : 6:43 p.m.
The interviews are open to the public. You can find the agendas here: http://cityofypsilanti.com/Community/News/newsid782/53/mid/782