Former Grosse Pointe City public safety director named interim city manager

GROSSE POINTE CITY — Grosse Pointe City is looking for its next city manager, but until it finds that person, a familiar face will be acting as the city’s top administrator.

Stephen Poloni, who’s now the city manager of Grosse Pointe Shores, was named the interim city manager for Grosse Pointe City by a unanimous vote of the Grosse Pointe City Council during a meeting April 17. Poloni was appointed the Shores’ city manager in October 2020, but before that, he served as the public safety director for Grosse Pointe City from roughly the end of 2011 to January 2021. In 2016, Poloni also became the public safety director for Grosse Pointe Park, a position he held simultaneously with his City directorship until he left both municipalities to take over the administrative reins in Grosse Pointe Shores, starting circa the end of January 2021.

While acting as the interim city manager in the City, Poloni will remain the city manager in the Shores.

“We put a high priority on trying to find someone who at least had familiarity with the city of Grosse Pointe, because we have a lot of projects going on,” said Grosse Pointe City Councilman Christopher Walsh, who’s also serving on the council subcommittee heading up the city manager search.

Grosse Pointe City Mayor Sheila Tomkowiak and City Councilman Terence Thomas are also on the city manager search subcommittee.

Grosse Pointe City Manager Pete Dame, who has served the city for the last 17 years, announced recently that he has taken a position as chief development officer of Portage, Michigan, which is his hometown. He’s moving back to help care for his aging parents. Dame was honored for his years of service by the Grosse Pointe City Council April 17. His last day with the City is April 20; he starts his new job in Portage April 24.

Poloni is well known in the Pointes, where he has spent the majority of his career. He was the public safety director of Grosse Pointe Shores from 2004 to 2011; he had worked in the Shores Public Safety Department since January 1987. Prior to that, he spent several years working for the city of River Rouge as an administrator in the Clerk’s Office, a member of the Department of Public Works and a firefighter.

During his tenure as Grosse Pointe Shores city manager, Poloni has frequently been praised by officials. Likewise, he earned kudos from officials in the City and Park for his work there.

“Steve is very well received by the staff in the City,” Walsh said. “I think it will assist us in as smooth a transition as we can (have).”

Walsh said Poloni already has a good relationship with Dame as well as the department heads in the City.

“They’re such a great staff,” Poloni said. “I know everybody, obviously. I’ll just be there to assist them as I can.”

Tomkowiak was among the City officials who welcomed Poloni’s return April 17.

“Welcome back,” Grosse Pointe City Councilman Donald Parthum Jr. told him.

During the April 17 meeting, the City Council also unanimously approved a contract with the Michigan Municipal League, which has executive search capabilities. Walsh said the MML was one of three search firms that the City considered.

“We decided MML would be a good choice for the City,” Walsh said.

Grosse Pointe Park used the MML when it was looking for a new city manager in 2016, after longtime city manager Dale Krajniak announced that he was retiring. In January, Krajniak became the finance director for Grosse Pointe Shores.

As was the case in the Park, the City’s MML search facilitator will be Jeff Mueller, a Grosse Pointe Woods resident who formerly worked as a city manager in Lathrup Village and was an assistant city manager in Grosse Pointe Park early in his career. Walsh said it’s advantageous for them to have someone who’s familiar with the Pointes leading the search.

At an April 5 Grosse Pointe City Council work session, Tomkowiak explained that the search firm will “guide us through the process” of finding a new, permanent city manager.

“The key thing for us is to know what we’re looking for,” Tomkowiak said.

Dame told City officials it would likely take at least four months for them to find a new city manager, since any candidate they might hire would need to give at least 30 days’ notice to their current municipality.

Poloni said he’ll be working roughly 10-hour days six days a week — working Monday through Saturday — to accommodate both roles. His contract in the City calls for him to work 20 hours per week there. It also states that he would be paid half of the salary of the current city manager; Poloni’s contract states that his annual salary would equate to $67,950.

“The City Council in the Shores was gracious enough to put me on loan,” Poloni said.

He said where he’s working at any particular time will depend on what’s going on in that community.