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South Haven City Manager Search Down to Seven to be Interviewed

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Faced with 21 solid candidates from across the nation, the South Haven City Council has narrowed their search for a new City Manager to one third of that number…with 7 candidates slated for a first round of interviews from September 15th through the 18th, including the current Interim City Manager, Kate Hosier.

Candidates from as far away as Florida, North Carolina, New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, and elsewhere in Michigan all threw their hats into the ring in the bid to replace Brian Dissette who recently left South Haven to take the reins as County Administrator for Berrien County.

Back on Monday, August 31st, members of City Council met with the City Manager search committee to review materials submitted by candidates who applied for the open City Manager position, resulting in 21 applications.

After spending much time in closed session reviewing the experience, education, and strengths of each candidate, the City Council went back into open session and voted to invite the following candidates to the first round of interviews:

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  • Mark Borden from Carson City, MI
  • Daywi Cook from Covert, MI
  • Tyler Dotson from Paw Paw, MI
  • Kate Hosier from South Haven, MI
  • Brady Selner from Norton Shores, MI
  • Aaron Thelenwood from Wyoming, MI
  • Timothy Wolff from Lake Isabella, MI

Mark Borden is a former city administrator from Carson City, Michigan. Daywi Cook is currently serving as Covert Township Clerk, and was narrowly defeated in a bid to become Township Supervisor in the August Primary last month. Tyler Dotson is the current City Manager for the City of Watervliet. Kate Hosier is the interim City Manager for South Haven. Brady Selner is Planning & Zoning Administrator for Mason County in Scottville, Michigan.  Aaron Thelenwood is the Operations Manager for the West Michigan Regional Airport in Holland and also Solid Waste/Recycling & Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Holland. Timothy Wolff has been Village Manager for the Village of Lake Isabella, Michigan since February of 2004.

The first round of interviews will take place on September 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th and the candidates will interview with the panel that the City Council approved at the August 17th Council meeting. The interview panel consists of:

  • Mayor Scott Smith
  • Eddie Polk, Senior Technical Instructor, Entergy/Palisades
  • Stephanie Timmer, VP Western Market, Sturgis Bank & Trust Company
  • Ross Stein, South Haven Township Supervisor, SHAES, SHASA & SHARS Boards
  • Bob Straits, Retired Administrator/Director, W.E. Upjohn Institute

In order to maintain social distancing, only the interview panel, the candidate, HR Director Kim Wise, and City Clerk Travis Sullivan will be in the room during the interview; however, they will continue to adhere to the Open Meetings Act by broadcasting all of the interviews.

At the conclusion of the interviews, the interview panel will review all scores and notes and vote on which candidates to recommend to the City Council as finalists. That recommendation will be presented and discussed at the September 21st Council meeting. The interview schedule has been set as follows:

Tuesday, September 15th:

  • 6pm – Mark Borden
  • 7:15pm – Daywi Cook

Wednesday, September 16th:

  • 7pm – Aaron Thelenwood
  • 8:15pm – Brady Selner

Thursday, September 17th:

  • 6pm – Timothy Wolff
  • 7:15pm – Tyler Dotson

Friday, September 18th:

  • 7pm – Kate Hosier
  • 8:15pm – Panelist Discussion