Walled Lake seeks candidates for a variety of positions

An article by Leslie Shepard    2 Comments

Walled Lake City Manager L. Dennis Whitt has been manning multiple city administrative positions almost single-handedly for months after several department heads moved on or retired. Now Whitt, with the Walled Lake City Council’s approval, has decided it’s time to post advertisements to fill the vacancies.

The city is seeking a Department of Public Works (DPW) director; a city clerk; a city treasurer; and a finance director.

Former DPW Director Loyd Cureton retired in mid-June. Cathy Buck left her position as Walled Lake City Clerk on Sept. 13 when she was offered the clerk position in Wixom. Lastly, former City Treasurer/Finance Director Kathy Kercorian departed in mid-May when she was offered a position with a non-governmental agency.

City officials opted to advertise through the Michigan Municipal League (MML) rather than conduct a national search. Advertisements for the open positions were posted on Friday, Oct. 14.

“We could have done it nationally, but are trying not to spend the money,” Whitt said. “We are putting them on our website and forwarding them by e-mail to various organizations.”

The City Council is looking for experienced candidates to fill each position. Therefore, it will take time to collect and review resumes.

“I’d love to have some (people filling those positions) in place now, but council wants to go slow and take its time to fill the spots,” Whitt said.

The council has the final say on all positions. Though the treasurer and finance director are currently listed as separate positions, they may be combined depending on the results of the candidate search.

The DPW director, on the other hand, is appointed by the city manager.

“It would be my selection, but confirmed by the city council,” Whitt said.