By DEBRA HAIGHT
BCR Correspondent
Life has changed a lot this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools and businesses have closed, large gatherings have been restricted and wearing face coverings is now an order rather than an option.
Governmental functions and operations have also been affected over the last several months. Most local, state and federal offices closed in March and many have yet to fully reopen. Boards, councils and commissions have also had to adjust with many using Zoom, Google Meet and other digital platforms to conduct business.
That reliance on digital platforms to conduct meetings virtually has extended beyond routine business to the hiring of a new county administrator, new city managers and new school superintendents.
With gatherings of more than 10 people not allowed by the state, government leaders have relied on the digital platforms to give the public a chance to have their voices heard while keeping themselves within the emergency Open Meetings Act provisions.
Among those hired by public bodies this spring and summer have been
Berrien County Administrator Brian Dissette, Buchanan Schools Superintendent Patricia Robinson and most recently Heather Grace as the new Buchanan City Manager.
Buchanan City Commissioners held interviews with six candidates over two evenings last week and ended up voting to hire Grace, the former city manager of West Branch, Michigan which is in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula.
Commissioners voted 4-1 last Thursday night to enter into negotiations
with Grace to become the next city manager, succeeding Bill Marx who is retiring. Commissioners favoring her cited her experience as both a city manager and practicing attorney as well as her community focus and welcoming personality.
“One of the applicants referred to the city commission as the board of directors and the city manager as the ceo,” Commissioner Sean Denison said. “If that’s true and you want the business making money, you want someone you know will do a good job. Only one of the candidates I think will do that. She’s sharp as a tack and has been successful as a city manager and worn a lot of hats.”
Mayor Patricia Moore said she was struck by Grace’s comments on reaching out to the community’s diverse populations to talk to them rather than relying on newspaper reports or social media postings. “She also described herself as apolitical and a cheerleader for local boards,” Moore said.
The interviews Wednesday and Thursday were in person with commissioners and five of six candidates at the Buchanan City Hall. Members of the public could watch the interviews virtually via Zoom. Only Grace appeared remotely for her interview.
Each candidate was asked a series of questions by commissioners, covering topics ranging from their background and why they’re the best candidate to their experience with budgeting, planning and other governmental functions and how they’ve handled tough problems in their careers.
Grace was the first to be interviewed Wednesday. She has experience as a legislative assistant in the Michigan House of Representatives and a research attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals. She said her career path has been a non traditional one with experience as both a lawyer and a manager. She said being a city manager is what she’s loved the most as she’s been able to have a direct impact on the community.
She said she had experience in all aspects of city government in her last position as several staff members were retiring when she came on. Her philosophy is to not share her personal opinions on issues such as adult and medical marijuana and to make sure everyone in city government as well as in the community are aware of all aspects of issues and concerns.
She said she and her husband have already looked at properties in the Buchanan area and believe the town will be a wonderful place to raise their two children. “I am confident I can come in and hit the ground running,” she said. “I really think I can build relationships and engage people to show the community that the city cares about what’s going on.”
In July, Buchanan school board members chose Robinson to succeed Tim
Donahue as superintendent. She has already started work in the district. She has had a 23 year career with the Benton Harbor school district until March when she resigned. She lives in Eau Claire, has twin 13 year old children and is married to a Michigan State Police trooper.
The superintendent interviews were conducted virtually with school members and candidates meeting in person and over 100 people watching the interviews and other presentations via YouTube live feeds.
“She was my top pick,” board member Kelly Laesch said. “She hit it out of the park. She hit every point, she just has it. I love her personality, her tenacity, her organizational skills and her plan, she’s ready … We have a lot of healing and work to do, she can jump in and get us going in the right direction.”
Although COVID-19 restrictions limited in person gatherings and forced meetings to be virtual, members said they felt they were actually able to gather more public input than in previous searches. “A lot of people might not have ever engaged in the process in person,” board member Ruth Writer said.
Earlier this spring, Berrien County Commissioners were able to hire Dissette as the new county administrator, also virtually. The county board has been meeting virtually since March and were doing that in late May when they hired Dissette. He began his career working for Berrien County and most recently was the South Haven city manager.
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