The Search Continues for Durand City Manager
by Graham Sturgeon, co-editor
The Durand City Council has reopened the search for a new City Manager after its first choice, Michael Sessions, decided not to take the position. Sessions is currently the City Administrator/Clerk for the city of Morenci, and ongoing and upcoming projects led him to turn down the position. The Durand City Council conditionally offered Sessions the position Nov. 10, after the council conducted interviews of the four finalists for the position.
The three other finalists include Ellen Glass, the Clerk for the village of Vernon; Jim Coleman, the Director of Housing, Facilities, and Community Development for the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians; and Vester Davis, who is the Assistant City Manager for the city of Grand Haven.
Durand Mayor Pro-Tem Dr. Brian Boggs reports that the council will re-examine Glass and Coleman, who finished in a virtual tie behind Sessions in the council’s Nov. 10 vote. The council will also work with Michigan Municipal League Lead Recruiter Kathy Grinzinger to further explore the rest of the original candidates, of which there are nearly 20. In the meantime, Interim City Manager Amy Roddy will continue in her role with the city. Dr. Boggs also said that the council will discuss the search during its Thursday, Dec. 15 Rural Development meeting, which begins at 6 p.m. He said it is unlikely that the council would make a decision before January.
