'Like helping a neighbor': Retired official to lend a hand in Marine City

Without a chief administrator and two department heads slated to exit in the coming months, Marine City is getting a helping hand at the helm.

A proposed contract for Scott Adkins, a former official in St. Clair and recently retired city manager of Roseville, was originally set to be on Thursday’s agenda for Marine City commissioners.

However, Police Chief Jim Heaslip, who’s serving as interim city manager, said that a contract hadn’t been finalized while Adkins was out of town this week, expecting it to be tabled and brought up at the City Commission’s next meeting on March 16.

Last month, Mayor Jennifer Vandenbossche said she’d been approached by Adkins several weeks after the controversial contract termination for the city’s last manage, adding he was looking to help but not fill the city manager role.

At that meeting on Feb. 16, commissioners authorized Heaslip to begin discussions with Adkins, temporarily setting a rate of $50 an hour for up to 20 hours a week of consulting while a formal contract was set.

“Until we can sign a contract with him, which will allow 30 hours a week at the same pay rate,” Heaslip said on Tuesday. “He’s already been in the office, sat down with me. We’ve got a game plan on what big issues need to be attacked first.”

And that includes a job description for the city manager.

“Once I get that, I will send that to the city manager search committee," Heaslip said. "Everybody will review that, and that will get posted hopefully quickly to start accepting resumes and applications.”

How does the retired administrator hope to help?

Over the phone from Florida on Wednesday, Adkins said he was already “readjusting” from a lengthy career as a full-time administrative role to consulting when he reached out to Marine City.

“Still living local, I was aware of some of the obstacles and challenges Marine City was facing, I felt there was a good opportunity,” he said.

“To me, it was the right thing to do to see if I could help,” Adkins added. “… It’s kind of like helping a neighbor.”

Previously, Adkins, who still resides in St. Clair, served as superintendent in the city from 2006 to 2012, and then, in Roseville for more than a decade afterward.

In discussions with Marine City, Adkins said he thought he’d be able to help fill a “pretty broad need” for administrative support in the office, particularly with their immediate personnel openings. Then, he said it could be a what Heaslip or city commissioners may need in operations.

As an example, he pointed to grant reviews for city projects and being able to “fill in gaps mentoring and training” other staff.

“Marine City’s a great community,” Adkins said. “They’ve got so much potential. There’s a just a couple bumps. We’re going to get them over the bump and (moving) forward real soon.”

What else comes next?

In addition to replacing Tatman, the city is slated to see the departure of its clerk and department of public works superintendent.

DPW Superintendent Mike Itrich first announced his intent to exit at the Jan. 16 meeting when former city manager Holly Tatman was ousted, though writing in a letter dated the previous month he was looking at May 17 as his official date to retire.

City Clerk Shannon Adams, who replaced longtime official Kris Baxter roughly a year ago, put in her notice to resign last month in a two-page letter, citing a decline in city office morale and a frustrated relationship with city commissioners. Her final working day was set to be March 15, though Jason Bell was already listed as the interim clerk on the city’s website.

A contract for Bell as acting city clerk with a bi-weekly pay rate of $2,200 was set for commissioner approval on Thursday.

During a stop in town last week, Heaslip said Adkins has already aided them in finalizing a job description for DPW superintendent and posting that opening and that of clerk to a listing through the Michigan Municipal League.

“So, within a day, he’s already been a tremendous help, and I look forward to working with him in the future,” the chief said.

Marine City’s charter allows commissioners 90 days since Tatman’s termination to replace her. If that date is reached, Heaslip said commissioners may need to extend his interim contract.

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: 'Like helping a neighbor': Retired official to lend a hand in Marine City