BUCHANAN HIRES NEW CITY MANAGER TO START JANUARY 13

By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
BUCHANAN – The city of Buchanan officially has a new city manager after action last week by Buchanan City Commissioners at a special meeting. Abonmarche Vice-President Tony McGhee was chosen by commissioners in late November and was one of 50 people who applied for the position.
Terms of the contract approved last week include an annual salary $125,000 plus benefits, a $500 a month car allowance and a maximum of 20 vacation days a year. His starting date will be Jan. 13 and he will be an at-will employee and the contract has no set length.

McGhee has been the vice-president of development services at Abonmarche since 2010. He was owner of the Water Street Group in Benton Harbor from 2009-11 and was vice president of physical and business development for Cornerstone Alliance from 2004-09. He served with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation from 1998-2004.
McGhee succeeds Tim Lynch who served as interim city manager for a few months in 2023 and then came back to be city manager in late 2023 after Benjamin Eldridge’s resignation. Lynch told city commissioners earlier this fall that he planned to step down at the end of the year.
The special meeting also included a new agreement with Lynch to stay on part-time to help in the transition. The agreement with Lynch runs through Feb. 28 and calls for him to work no more than 20 hours a week at a rate of $60 an hour.
The salary paid to the city manager has increased since Eldridge’s appointment in May, 2023. Eldridge’s salary was $94,000, Lynch’s salary was $104,000 initially and then increased to $110,000 in July.

The only discussion at last week’s meeting came when Commissioner Dan Vigansky said he wanted part of a sentence taken out of the section of the contract concerning the city manager’s supervisory authority.
That section originally stated that the city manager “shall have such authority to supervise and direct the performance of work and services of all City employees as the City Commission shall direct.”
Vigansky said the last part of that sentence, “as the City Commission shall direct” should be removed. He pointed out that the City Charter doesn’t give the city commission authority over city employees, leaving that to the city manager. “I don’t want us to be micromanaging,” he said.
Commissioner Raquell George had similar concerns and commissioners voted unanimously to take that phrase out after a brief discussion. “We aren’t supposed to be in direct day-to-day supervision of employees,” she said. “If we feel like he is targeting a person and not making the right judgment, we can meet with him.”
Commissioner Patrick Swem said he was fine with making the change but would have liked to have known of the concern before the meeting so the city attorney could have been consulted for his opinion.
When contacted after last week’s meeting, McGhee said he feels fortunate to have been selected as the new city manager by city commissioners. “The sense of community is strong and I look forward to becoming a part of the community as we work to collectively move forward.”
He said he feels the city has been positioned well for success. “We have numerous opportunities for attracting new businesses to town, developing housing for all, and creating a world class quality of life for our residents.  McGhee went on to say that he looks forward to the downtown project next year and the promise it holds for the community.
During his interviews in November, he said he believed he was the right fit for the job due to his experience with infrastructure, utilities and economic development and added that he has built relationships with other area leaders over the years. “I have a track record and am known in the area,” he said.
He said some of the past projects he’s most proud of are the Smart Park project in Cassopolis, the revitalization of downtown Allegan and securing land for the Harbor Shores development. “With the Smart Park, it was an idea in 2019 and by 2023 it was up and running,” he said.
“I’ve been watching Buchanan for eight to 10 years,” McGhee said during the interviews. “You have a real sense of community where people stick together and care. You have solid schools and the opportunity to build something. There are not too many communities with the natural resources you have.”
He added, “You have the foundation with your quality of life, infrastructure and economic development opportunities to do some pretty good things for the next generations.”