“Everyone loves a surprise” is an old cliche, but surprises have their time and place. 

One place they don’t belong is in important government decisions like the hiring of a city administrator. 

The advertised agenda for the April 7 Adrian City Commission meeting said that commissioners would be discussing the next steps in their search for a new administrator. They had just interviewed two search firms, and it seemed like the next decision they made would be about which one should guide the process.

So it took a lot of people by surprise when, during the portion of the meeting that is usually only used as a work study session, two commissioners put a motion on the floor to stop the process and offer the job permanently to police chief Vince Emrick, who has been the interim administrator since the beginning of February.

Emrick, a well-respected department head, would have been a good choice. City commissions over the years have thought highly enough of his abilities to entrust him with an interim appointment not just this time, but during the previous three vacancies as well. 

But a decision this important should never happen without advance notice and a deliberative process.

After a discussion in which many commissioners were clearly uncomfortable with the position they’d been placed in, the commission voted 4-2 in favor of making the offer — an offer that, after consideration, Emrick decided not to accept.

It’s hard to find any upsides to the way the April 7 meeting went down.

It placed Emrick, a public servant who has dedicated his entire career to the city, in an incredibly awkward position. 

It deprived the public of their right to comment. 

It deprived commissioners of the ability to take their time weighing an incredibly important decision.

Had Emrick accepted the offer, he would have started off at a disadvantage compared to if his appointment had been ratified unanimously, which certainly could have happened if he had decided to apply and the process had been followed.

And now that the search is continuing as originally planned, the city will need to assure prospective applicants that they won’t be working for a commission prone to impulsive decisions.

In the wake of this awkward and unnecessary situation, the city commission should work to prevent it from happening again. For example, they could adopt a policy stating that major decisions such as the hiring of key personnel will not be voted on unless they have been published in an agenda. Although policies set by the commission can always be overridden, this would be a useful checkpoint to discourage future surprises — and it would definitely help establish public trust.