Recently retired Paw Paw city manager Larry Nielsen was hired to start on or before Oct. 9 to serve as Wayland’s interim city manager.
Nielsen served for 10 years as Paw Paw’s city manager before retiring Aug. 28. He will be on vacation until October before stepping in to help Wayland’s City Council find a permanent city manager to replace Tim McLean.
McLean’s last day was Aug. 25. The council accepted his resignation so he could move to the Detroit area to be with his new bride. McLean’s severance package includes a 90-day arrangement for his availability to the city for a smooth transition.
Terry Hofmeyer was also a candidate for the interim role. Council members voted 6-1 at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 5, to hire Nielsen.
Mayor Tim Bala was the lone “no” vote. He said Hofmeyer previously served as interim manager and did a great job.
“He did a wonderful job, he was easy to work for and he can start in a week,” Bala said.
Council member Tracy Bivins said it did not make sense to hire Hofmeyer for one week before he was scheduled for a two-week vacation and then have him come back again.
“I think we all have our minds made up on where we want to go with this,” Bivins said. “Larry was more personable.”
Mayor pro-tem Jennifer Antel said she was disappointed Hofmeyer gave short answers during the interview because she knew him and knew he’d do a great job.
“I cringe at the idea of waiting to start the process of getting a new city manager in our free time,” Antel said. “It’d be nice to get started next week instead of next month.”
At a special meeting on Aug. 28, finance director and treasurer Cheri Parrish was named acting city manager until an interim could be hired. Council member Rick Mathis asked Parrish if she felt she could pick up the slack while either candidate was on vacation.
Parrish said yes. She also served as acting manager in the 6-8 week transition between city managers Mike Selden and Tim McLean.
Mathis said he wanted the right candidate for the city’s needs and Nielsen could do that. Council member Lisa Banas said she thought both candidates were qualified but went with Nielsen as did the other council members.
Hofmeyer served the City of Wayland as interim manager in 2003, and on his last day as an interim in 2012, he fired Dan Miller who had served as police chief for 26 years.
Miller had been investigated by the Michigan State Police for improper handling of department property and evidence. No criminal charges were brought against Miller; however, Hofmeyer fired him for ongoing violations of city policy. It was an unpopular decision among many residents.
Hofmeyer is a former city manager of Holland, current Laketown Township supervisor and long-standing member of the Michigan Local Government Management Association.
Besides serving as Paw Paw’s city manager, Nielsen served as the city manager in Bangor, village manager in Berrien Springs and as Benton Charter Township supervisor. Nielsen has been a long-time MLGMA member as well.
Nielsen’s compensation will be determined at a later date. His interim commitment is expected to last three to five months.
Virginia Ransbottom can be contacted at vransbottom@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.
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