Northville Begins Search for New City Manager

(City of Northville, Oct. 31, 2022)

Northville, MI – City Council held a special meeting on Oct. 25 to discuss the process they will use to find a successor to City Manager Pat Sullivan, who will retire on Jan. 6, 2023.

Council decided to first focus on hiring an interim city manager, with a subcommittee of Council Members Marilyn Price and Andrew Krenz working with the city manager to obtain a list of qualified candidates from the Michigan Municipal League and other sources. A subcommittee consisting of Mayor Pro Tem Barbara Moroski-Browne and Council Member John Carter will work with the city manager to develop a recommendation for a search firm.

Progress updates on these action items will be presented to the full council at the Nov. 7 meeting (interim manager) and Nov. 21 meeting (recruitment firm).

During public comment, resident Nancy Darga recalled that she was on the City Council when Pat Sullivan was hired 16 years ago, and thanked him for his service to the city. She said there are time-sensitive challenges in terms of pending grants and other matters that must continue to advance, even during this leadership transition. She suggested getting back-up assistance to make sure the projects keep to their timeline so funding isn’t lost.

Michelle Aniol concurred with Darga’s comments and said the city manager replacement role they are seeking needs to be more than just a day-to-day job.

Susan Hafleigh said there should be a three-tiered approach: hire an interim manager, seek a long-term one but also bring in services in development to help make the transition now and into the new year. She recognizes that the third tier would be an added expense but said it takes pressure off the transitional team in finding a long-term replacement because the larger role of the city manager will still get done.

View the video here.