Public radio from Western Michigan University 102.1 NPR News | 89.9 Classical WMUK
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Portage to Take Applications for Acting City Manager

Sehvilla Mann
/
WMUK

The Portage City Council has voted to seek applications for acting city manager. That means it’s all but certain the position will not be filled when current city manager Maurice Evans retires April first.

At a meeting Tuesday evening, Mayor Pete Strazdas and two other council members who opposed the motion expressed dismay with the decision. Strazdas had recommended appointing longtime Deputy Manager Brian Bowling. He says that’s considered the best practice absent concerns about the deputy manager’s competency, which he noted no members expressed. Council member Richard Ford and three other members who supported the motion say they want to keep their options open.

The council will approve the job description before it goes out; that item is on the agenda for the council's March 25 meeting. Portage’s charter gives the city up to 30 days to appoint an acting manager or 90 days total with council-approved extensions. The application will be posted for 30 days.
 

Sehvilla Mann joined WMUK’s news team in 2014 as a reporter on the local government and education beats. She covered those topics and more in eight years of reporting for the Station, before becoming news director in 2022.