Berkley City Council selects VanVleck as next city manager

BERKLEY — The city of Berkley has found its next city manager.

After a search process that took most of the year, the Berkley City Council formally selected Crystal VanVleck to be the next city manager at a special meeting Oct. 7.

“I’m honored to have been selected to serve the City of Berkley as the next City Manager and am excited to join the Berkley team to help continue the City’s forward momentum,” VanVleck said in a press release.

VanVleck comes to Berkley from Oak Park, where she recently served as the deputy city manager of community services. She holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Wayne State University.

The city of Berkley held candidate interviews with three finalists for the open city manager position on Oct. 1: VanVleck; M. Jon Dean, chief of human resources at Veterinary United; and Khalfani Stephens, deputy mayor of the city of Pontiac.

During the Oct. 1 meeting, VanVleck said that working in a neighboring city like Oak Park has given her a perspective on Berkley, as both cities have shared some of the same obstacles and challenges over the years.

VanVleck stated that she’s excited for the opportunity to take the baton as Berkley’s next city manager and help continue the community’s momentum.

“I’m excited to learn about what each department is working on to gain a better understanding of what the community needs, to hear the ideas that staff and council have to meet those needs, and to see where my initial ideas fit into all of that,” she said. “Berkley is already a wonderful place to live, work and play. I know that there have been a few bumps in the road, but nothing that I’ve seen that (it) is not able to overcome.

“Berkley is just full of people who are passionate about the place that they live and work,” she continued. “I’d be honored to lead the ship and picking up the revision of the strategic plan and help pave the path that allows us to all row in the same direction to meet the goals that you set and continue to ensure that Berkley is known for its incredible services, strong community feel and unmatched quality of life factors.”

When asked about what she thinks are some of the challenges that Berkley faces right now, VanVleck said that infrastructure is one of the issues.

“I wish we all had a magic wand that we could wave and figure that one out, but we’re all dealing with some long-term maintenance issues, and so I don’t think that’s unique to Berkley. I think that’s mostly in (the) metro Detroit area, especially,” she said. “In addition to that, I know there are some challenges around the lead service lines here and being able to fund that.”

VanVleck also felt there were challenges in building trust with the community and that they need to gain an understanding of what the community as a whole really wants in the future.

“I also think there’s an opportunity there,” she added. “An opportunity to gain the trust of the community members and … making sure that everyone’s on the same page and we understand what the majority of the community members would like to see. I’d like to think there’s an opportunity in finding unique funding mechanisms. I think that it will have to be done with the assistance of our state and federal government officials, so hopefully they’re listening, but I’m prepared and excited to tackle all of those things.”

After the candidate interviews were completed, council members took the week to contemplate whom to offer the city manager position.

The decision was unanimous, as every council member recommended VanVleck for the position.

“She’s a great communicator,” Council member Dennis Hennen said at the meeting. “She’s been involved in several aspects of city management and, while she doesn’t have the title of city manager, she’s worked side by side with a city manager her entire career and is, I believe, ready to hit the ground running. And she’s clearly a rising star demonstrated by the size and scope of diversity of projects she’s successfully executed, and with a city our size, we aren’t going to attract city managers with decades of experience, and sometimes when someone is on the rise like Ms. VanVleck, I think that’s the best time to pull them in.”

All members of council agreed that every candidate was qualified for the job. While the decision was not easy for Council member Clarence Black, his recommendation of VanVleck came down to two qualities: leadership and management.

“One is leadership,” he said. “We need someone that can work with us, but in many ways lead us, because we have to go about the business of our day-to-day jobs. And then manage our team, and that’s probably the most important thing, is they need to have that ability to lead and manage that team.”

VanVleck’s hiring will be contingent on a background check and contract approval between herself and the city.