Ferndale Council Appoints James Krizan to Interim City Manager Position
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Dec. 2, 20224)
Ferndale, MI – At the Nov. 25 council meeting, Ferndale officials unanimously appointed James Krizan to serve as Interim City Manager while the city goes through the search process for a long-term City Manager.
Krizan had been serving as Assistant City Manager since January. Previously he had been the Assistant to the City Manager of Royal Oak. Other experiences include being City Manager of Lincoln Park and Village Manager of Decatur. He’s a graduate of Eastern Michigan University.
City council had been considering multiple candidates for the position.
Councilperson Greg Pawlica supported Krizan’s appointment, but during discussion he leaned towards an external interim, noting that last year the city lost both their Assistant City Manager, and the Assistant to the City Manager. At the time City Manager Joe Gacioch had tried to operate the city without filling those positions, but came back to council two months later requesting an Assistant City Manager. Gacioch is leaving to accept the City Manager position in Royal Oak.
“I don’t want to over burden the City Manager office,” Pawlica said, adding that in the coming months the City Manager would be responsible for putting forth a new millage or bond proposal, preparing two budgets – one if a proposal passes and another if it fails, plus negotiating five union contracts which are up in June. “We’re not in a typical situation… I think James is capable of doing the work, but I don’t want to set him up for failure.”
However, Pawlica ultimately agreed with other members of council that Krizan could take on the tasks with the support of department heads in the city.
Councilperson Rolanda Kelly expressed support for the appointment, saying “That’s what James is here for. This is his time to step up. This is his chance.”
In addition to the value of promoting from within, the move saves the City money. Hiring Wollenwebber would have cost the city over $17,000 per month.
“For me this is a very sensitive time. I am sensitive to the cost,” said Councilperson Laura Mikulski. She noted that when nearby City of Berkley was looking for a City Manager, the search took about six months. “$105,000 over six months, that is unpalatable to me, unless I could find a way to cost match that in that time period.”
Kelly agreed. “The $100,000 might be in our budget, but we can save that money.”
Mayor Raylon Leaks-May shared that it isn’t about the money for her, but about her faith in Krizan’s capabilities. “Based on our conversations, he is very clear of what’s at stake,” she said.
Councilperson Donnie Johnson agreed. “I do believe that James can do the job,” he said. “Ferndale city government is small enough that it really is a team, and I think that we can do this.”
It was not mentioned whether Krizan will be applying for the long term City Manager position. The City is currently working with a consulting firm Vettraino Consulting to fill the position.
The City has also put out a survey to find out what stakeholders are looking for in a City Manager. According to a post on the City’s website, ” To better understand what is important to the community as Ferndale City Council searches for its next City Manager, you are invited to complete a community survey. No identifying personal information is being collected by this survey. This survey was created by, and responses will be collected and maintained by, Vettraino Consulting—the firm retained by the City to assist in the recruitment of its next City Manager. Aggregated response data will be shared with the City Council, with no identifying personal information.
The survey closes at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 2, 2024.
