Marine City looking for community member's help in city manager search

Marine City is looking for a resident to serve on a committee tasked with finding the community’s next city manager, just weeks after officials ousted the last one.

A deadline to apply is noon on Feb. 8 during Thursday’s City Commission meeting.

However, city officials said they’ve already begun to get notices of interest. Three people have reached out to City Clerk Shannon Adams and one person has contacted Police Chief Jim Heaslip, who’s serving as interim city manager since Holly Tatman was terminated Jan. 16.

The application form for the committee seat is available on the city’s website at www.cityofmarinecity.org. It asks individuals about their status as a resident, voter, business owner, whether they have employment in the city and whether they have violated city codes or been in tax delinquency. Additional pages or a resume can also be attached.

Adams and Heaslip said applications could be turned into the city’s offices at 260 S. Park St. or to either of them via email at clerk@cityofmarinecity.org, JHeaslip@marinecity-mi.org or citymanager@cityofmarinecity.org.

Already named to the city manager committee are Commissioners Jacob Bryson and Brian Ross, both of whom voted against Tatman’s termination last month.

“Please everybody, if you want to be on the committee, submit your paperwork,” Ross said Thursday night. Moments prior, he remarked on the city’s managerless status versus a 90-day requirement to fill a vacancy, adding, “Read through the charter outline for the absence of a city manager, we are already there. We are almost at 20 days of 90.”

Commissioners voted 4-3 to end Tatman’s contract after the administrator had been on board with the city for more than a year. The other to vote against was Mayor Jennifer Vandenbossche.

Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Hendrick previously pointed to a host of broadly outlined offenses, ranging from keeping commissioners informed to carrying out their policy directives. Despite continued pushback from some residents during public comment on Thursday, criticizing the lack of clarity about why Tatman was fired, commissioners didn’t address the cause, though Commissioner Mike Hilferink alleged it wasn’t that they didn’t want to elaborate — it was that they couldn’t.

Heaslip, a Marine City native, has been police chief since 2016 after a stint as interim chief. He was named interim city manager immediately following the Tatman vote in January.

Also on Thursday, Commissioners OK’d an addendum to his employment agreement with a bi-weekly rate of pay at $2,500 and a term ending once a new manager is hired.

Multiple commissioners, both those who voted for and against ending Tatman’s contract, thanked Heaslip for taking on the extra duties. He declined to comment on the arrangement.

But in comments during the city manager’s report of Thursday’s meeting, Heaslip briefly reflected on integrating himself into the role with a city office staff, which has already seen other turnover in two positions — the city clerk and treasurer — over the last year.

“I’ve got to tell you, they bust their butts,” he said. “They are overwhelmed, as well. They’ve got a lot going on, and they’re doing the best they can. I’m trying to offer them all the support I can. I’m running back and forth between here and the police department, and we’re all working hard.”

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: Marine City looking for a community member's help in city manager search