Ferndale council selects next city manager

FERNDALE — After several months of searching, the Ferndale City Council has selected its next city manager.

At its Feb. 10 meeting, the council unanimously approved the selection of Colleen O’Toole as city manager. She will replace former City Manager Joe Gacioch, who left Ferndale in December to take the same position in Royal Oak.

O’Toole, the former city manager of Saline, was selected out of a pool of three finalists, which also included James Krizan, the interim city manager and assistant city manager in Ferndale, and Vester Davis Jr., former city manager of Springfield.

“Everything that I’ve heard about Colleen, everything that I’ve witnessed about her … I think that she has demonstrated her ability to lead projects and is the preferred candidate for the city,” Mayor Raylon Leaks-May stated during the meeting.

O’Toole’s selection as city manager is not official, as it’s contingent upon the approval of a contract, which will come before the City Council at a later date. The salary for a city manager is $130,528 to $163,012, based on the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

The candidates were publicly interviewed by the City Council on Feb. 6. O’Toole stated she was attracted to the position because she was familiar with Ferndale’s reputation for being a “vibrant, engaged and inclusive community” and felt her personal and professional values were aligned with the city’s as it relates to integrity, inclusivity and equity.

“Ferndale is a community that places those values at the core of its decision-making process,” she said. “This is the type of organization that I want to be a part of. More than that, this is the type of community where I feel confident that my family will be welcomed. As my wife and I look carefully at where we want to raise our young children and the kind of example we want to set, that sense of inclusivity and cultural vitality set Ferndale apart.”

O’Toole also felt she was qualified to handle upcoming issues in Ferndale, such as the expiration of the Headlee override and union contract renewals.

“How to respond to the expiration of the Headlee override without compromising the community’s values will require an experienced manager. I understand that the city is pursuing a revised ask to the community for an upcoming election, but whatever the course taken, it will be a delicate task requiring a thoughtful and transparent approach,” she said.

“I have experience both with seeking and securing voter approved millages and extensive charter amendment changes through proactive, consistent and transparent community engagement,” O’Toole continued. “Additionally, I’m aware that the city will need a manager who is prepared to address upcoming union negotiations. I have negotiated seven unique contracts, several wage reopeners and navigated both mediation and arbitration challenges during my career. I’m very comfortable in the negotiation seat and approach reaching consensus with a level head and common sense.”

O’Toole stated she wants to build relationships and active partnerships to solve problems. Whether it’s in regard to council leadership, staff or members of the community, she said she does not want to make decisions or recommendations in a silo.

“Welcoming new ideas and new voices to the table enriches the process and invariably yields stronger public policies and programs,” she said. “At the end of the day, this process is all about finding the right fit, affording you all the opportunity to learn about me and me the chance to better understand the leadership team here.”

The entirety of O’Toole’s interview can be viewed on the city of Ferndale’s YouTube page.

For the council, every candidate performed well during the interviews, but it was O’Toole who stood out and separated herself as the first choice to become city manager.

Council member Rolanda Kelley said O’Toole “nailed” the interview and “knocked it out of the park.”

“She was prepared, she had a plan, she has been in tough situations and she’s seen Saline through the other side,” she said. “I think a fresh set of eyes is exactly what we need to come in and really take a look at everything with the Headlee. Whether it passes or it doesn’t, we really need to look at efficiencies and how we move Ferndale forward, and I think she’s the right person.”