ADRIAN — The search for a temporary city administrator will continue to be a topic of discussion for the Adrian City Commission at its next meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, in the City Chambers Building at 159 E. Maumee St.

At a special meeting last week, commissioners heard input on the idea of appointing one of their own number, commissioner Bob Behnke, as acting administrator. Behnke had expressed interest in the role at the previous meeting.

Some residents opposed the idea of appointing Behnke on the grounds that he would have to leave the job that voters elected him to, particularly since, under the city charter, the resulting vacancy would be filled by a vote of the remaining commissioners until the next election.

“This isn’t about whether the individual is capable or qualified, it’s about the role the voters elected him to perform,” city resident Nicole Hernandez said during the public comment period of the meeting.

Carrie Smith expressed similar thoughts, and added that the Aug. 10 special meeting to gather comments on the administrator search seemed like an unnecessary step. She asked: “Why are we having this conversation now? Why have we not already had in mind what kind of person we’re looking for?”

During the commission’s discussion:

• Commissioner Aaron Chesher said he likes the idea of Behnke as acting administrator. He said that before the meeting, he received seven emails and three phone calls in support of the idea, and none against. “As this is just an interim position, we wouldn’t want that person to spend half their interim getting caught up,” he added.
• Commissioner Chip Moore asked if appointing Behnke could be a “possible inside coup,” saying he heard rumors that when Behnke was first elected to the commission, the administrator at the time said “Watch him, he’s going to take my job.” Mayor Angela Sword Heath said that while she had heard the same thing, she believes the idea that Behnke wanted the job from the beginning is false, noting that over the past few years he would have had multiple opportunities seek the position if that were the case.
• Heath said she would want to see Behnke interview for the interim post alongside a field of other applicants. “I think Bob would do a good job, I really do, but I want to see that. I want him to interview against other candidates,” she said.
• Commissioner Matt Schwartz apologized to Chesher and commissioner Tiffany Zych for asking at the previous meeting if Behnke’s endorsement of them in the 2025 election represented a conflict of interest. He said he felt it was important to bring up the election endorsement, but that “I wasn’t questioning your character.”

The Michigan Municipal Executives organization keeps a list of people — mainly retired municipal employees — who are open to taking on short-term interim administrative appointments. The commission ultimately asked human resources director Heather Lasky to reach out to the people on that list and see who would be interested in interviewing for Adrian’s interim position.

They also scheduled a special meeting for 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, with the idea that they would review possible candidates on Monday, then conduct interviews on Thursday.

During the final public comment period of the meeting, the commission also heard from Marne Davies, a longtime human resources executive locally. Davies said that while it might not be a popular position, she wanted to congratulate the commission on not hiring from the previous pool of administrator candidates if the right fit wasn’t there. She also urged the commission to be guided by Lasky’s experience, saying: “Rely on her, because she does have a lot of knowledge.”

Click below to view the August 10 meeting: