Birmingham welcomes new city manager

BIRMINGHAM — Jana Ecker has been unanimously selected by the Birmingham City Commission as the next Birmingham city manager.

Ecker’s new role with the city will begin once the term ends for current City Manager Tom Markus, on June 30.

The process to choose the new city manager was extensive and included multiple stages. The first round of interviews was held over Zoom on Feb. 8 and 9 during special City Commission meetings.

Candidates then toured the city facilities, did a public meet-and-greet event, and were subject to public input on Engage Birmingham. Feedback from city staff and the public was reviewed by city commissioners. Final interviews were then conducted by city commissioners prior to the appointment.

Ecker has over 26 years of professional experience in municipal law and local government, and has been employed by the city of Birmingham for  21 years. She has previously held the positions of planning director and interim executive director of the Birmingham Shopping District, and her current role of assistant city manager. Ecker is a licensed attorney.

Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts in urban planning and environmental studies from the University of Toronto, a bachelor’s in laws from the University of Windsor, and a graduate certificate in public administration from Central Michigan University.

Markus said Ecker’s background makes her a thorough researcher of problems.

“She has a very strong skill set to do this kind of work,” Markus said.

Ecker said she is most looking forward to “continuing all of the great work that is currently going on right now in the city. There are new initiatives that are coming up that are in early stages that I look forward to digging deeper on.”

For instance, sustainability, climate resiliency and planning to address Birmingham’s aging population.

“I’m looking forward to continuing and increasing collaboration with our existing staff and the City Commission,” Ecker said.

Markus said he has been working alongside Ecker as she has been working in the city manager’s office.

“I think she has picked up an even broader perspective of what happens in the city and how things work,” Markus said. “I think she had the advantage of being a candidate that had a lot of insight into how the city of Birmingham operates, the culture of the community and how to interact with the community.”

Markus said he thinks Ecker will do good things for Birmingham.

“She has strong leadership skills, and like I say, typically, in order to lead, people have to be willing to follow you, and our employees, I think, are very supportive of Jana in the manager’s role, and I think she will be a very strong leader for the city,” Markus said.

Since Ecker has worked in Birmingham for so long, she feels like she already has a strong connection with the residents and business owners.

“I am looking forward to this new challenge and continuing to build those relationships and work with the public to make Birmingham even better,” Ecker said.

The city is currently in the stage of contract negotiations. The City Commission will have the final say on what the contract will state and the length of the terms.

Markus had returned to his former post for a 30 month contract in replacement of then-outgoing City Manager Joe Valentine after previously serving as Birmingham city manager from the spring of 1989 through fall of November 2010.