By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published October 30, 2024
ROYAL OAK — The Royal Oak City Commission on Oct. 15 chose Joe Gacioch to be the next city manager of Royal Oak.
Prior to getting this job, Gacioch worked as the Ferndale city manager. He is a credentialed manager with the International City/County Management Association and is active with Michigan Municipal Executives, where he serves on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
In Gacioch’s public interview that took place Oct. 12, he said he applied for the job because he feels like Royal Oak is a similar community to Ferndale, but he also believes he can expand his skills as a city manager in Royal Oak’s bigger community.
“Growth opportunities are tremendous for me, and I always seek to grow, and this looks like a great opportunity,” he said. “Royal Oak is an anchor of Oakland County.”
Gacioch said that Royal Oak provides new opportunities that Ferndale did not and is a great way to touch base with bigger projects that reach more people.
Gacioch had been working for the city of Ferndale since 2012, and was appointed as city manager in 2019. He has two kids, a girl, 7, and a boy, 5.
“I believe strongly in work-life integration; I don’t necessarily seek out work-life balance. I believe the personal self and the professional self are intertwined,” he said Oct. 12. “As a father, my children have taught me much about patience, the importance of temperance, and the importance of joy and love.”
Gacioch said that this push from his kids to be more patient and temperate has helped him develop a positive style of leadership and his desire to continue to grow as a professional.
When asked what kind of new perspectives Gacioch thinks he will bring to the table in Royal Oak, he said he hopes to bring a sense of leadership.
“The sense of organizational commitment and trying to get the organization to be in tune with the community I think is going to be really important,” he said. “Because of the uniqueness in Ferndale, I think that I am well positioned to lead the organization to make sure they are in tune with the community as they navigate a lot of changes that we are all navigating in the region.”
Gacioch said that Ferndale and Royal Oak share common issues within the community, which he is used to dealing with as city manager of Ferndale.
“Whether that be climate adaptation, affordable housing, reinvesting in infrastructure,” he said. “Ferndale, Royal Oak, Madison Heights, all of our communities share some of the same common issues that are based on old inner ring communities. We’re built essentially during the post war, so we have a lot of the same problems.”
On Oct. 12, Gacioch expressed that in his position as a leader, he likes to focus on team-oriented culture and a democratic management style.
“I welcome input. I think it’s important to understand all perspectives from a management experience as well as from an equity perspective,” he said. “You have to really understand where people are coming from and how they are viewing things.”
On Oct. 15, during the decision-making process, Commissioner Brandon Kolo said that Gacioch was the candidate who provided the most relevant answers to problems that Royal Oak is going through today.
“I think Joe really provided us with solid examples of how we can tackle challenges that we have discussed today at this table,” he said. “I think Mr. Gacioch shows us more about how we can get to where we need to be.”
Mayor Michael Fournier said that the experience Gacioch has from Ferndale fits really well with Royal Oak and that it will be a smooth transition into the role as city manager.
“Mr. Gacioch has the experience that can jump right into the position and take care of the blocking and tackling without losing any time,” he said. “Mr. Gacioch’s experience being in a city similar to Royal Oak — Ferndale has done some really awesome things over the last few years, they’re a little bit smaller than us, but they deal with the same issues.”
Gacioch said that as city manager he will be putting the people of Royal Oak first, and he looks forward to connecting with the community.
“For me, it is always people first. So really, getting stuff to people, getting to know the community, I’m really excited about this. Royal Oak is a diamond of Oakland County. It’s a pretty important community, and not just in Oakland County. Honestly, in Michigan, I know that it’s very important,” he said. “So I really do want to get a feel for what the community is most proud of. And then (I’m) really excited about the dynamics of downtown. There’s just been so much growth there over the past few years. There’s a lot of energy there and I’m really looking forward to kind of getting on board with that.”
Staff Writer Mike Koury contributed to this story.