ADRIAN — The Adrian City Commission will interview five finalists for the position of city administrator on Monday, June 22. The interviews are open to the public, and after the interviews, a reception will be held so that the candidates can meet and talk with members of the public.
The interviews will begin at 2 p.m. in the City Chambers Building at 159 E. Maumee St. The reception will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The finalists include two people who are currently serving in similar positions with other cities, two people who have previously held city manager positions, and one who is currently a department head. None of the finalists are currently employed by the city of Adrian, but one is a former Adrian department head who now works for another city.
Jeremiah Davies is currently the city manager in Hudson, a job he started at the end of 2025 after three years as Adrian’s parks and recreation director. Prior to that, he worked for Adrian Public Schools. He is a graduate of Siena Heights University, earned a master’s degree from Adrian College, and holds 35 certificates from the International City/County Management Association. He was also one of the finalists during the city’s previous city administrator search.
Joel Mazur most recently served as the city administrator for in Oregon, Ohio. In that role, he managed a $97 million annual budget and was responsible for executing the plan to create the Oregon Town Center, a mixed-use development in a city that lacked a traditional historic downtown. At the end of November 2025, he announced his resignation from that role effective at the end of January. Before his tenure in Oregon, he served as city manager for the city of Napoleon. He is a graduate of Adrian College and holds a master’s degree from the University of Toledo.
Ali Awadi has served as the facilities and emergency management director for the city of Westland since 2024. His resume includes leading the city’s comprehensive emergency preparedness and response programs, oversees major sustainability initiatives, and managing budgets and project timelines. Before working for the city of Westland, he was the owner of HSEM Consulting. He has a doctorate from Walden University and is a certified emergency manager.
Shannon Sirpilla has served as the city manager in Beaverton, located near Michigan’s Thumb, since 2023. She oversees municipal administrative operations and advances policy implementation and cross-departmental coordination. Before her current position, Sirpilla served as the city treasurer and as the finance and IT director for the city of Clare. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University.
Jason Smith is currently a sixth-grade social studies teacher at the Academy of Warren, but worked in city administration before that. He served one term as the mayor of Jackson, from 2013 to 2015, and then went back to school to pursue a degree in public administration. He was the executive director of the Eaton Rapids Downtown Development Authority, then city manager for the city of Litchfield before becoming city manager in Belleville, where he worked from 2023 to 2025.
