Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
AS THE FIRST candidate to interview for the position of Wakefield's city manager, Robert Brown, Jr., right, faces the scrutiny of the Wakefield city council at a special Monday evening meeting. From left are mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro, mayor John Granato and city clerk Sue Ahonen. City manager Richard Brackney plans to retire in the spring after three years on the job.
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield - The Wakefield city council interviewed its first candidate for city manager at a special meeting Monday evening.
Robert Brown Jr., of downstate Belding, answered a predetermined list of questions for the council in a session that lasted about one and one-half hours.
Mayor John Granato said three remaining candidates, none of whom are local, will be addressed the same questions at another special meeting on Thursday at 6 p.m.
"That will conclude it," he said in a Tuesday phone call, adding he hopes the council will make a decision by the end of the week.
Granato said he and council member Pat Mann are on the manager's search committee, but emphasized they have made a point to include all council members in the process.
According to Granato, applications are closed, but he said if council members do not agree on a candidate this week, they will advertise via the Michigan Municipal League.
The contract of current city manager Richard Brackney expires on May 24, so the council has about four months to fill the position.
"We're trying to fill his vacancy because he had planned to leave," said Granato of Brackney. "He only wanted a 3-year contract."
Granato said he hopes a new manager can be hired soon, so that Brackney can help to train that person.
"I'm not running away from the job," said Brackney to the Globe. He added he'll offer as much help as he can to whomever the council chooses.
Otherwise, Brackney said he's lying low. "I've stayed completely out of this," he said of the search process. "I've not interjected myself into any of the conversations."
He added, however, "I don't think too many people understand the job and how many hats you have to wear."
The mayor concluded he is optimistic that the right candidate will be "ready to hit the ground running" with a pursuit of various grants that he said are a key to progress in an economically challenged area such as this.
