Grosse Pointe Shores continues search for new finance director

GROSSE POINTE SHORES — The forthcoming departure of Grosse Pointe Shores Finance Director/Treasurer Candice Giles — who will leave Dec. 7 to take a new job — has Shores officials searching for her replacement.

Giles gave her final budget and finance report during the Shores City Council’s Nov. 15 meeting. She started working for the city in the spring of 2021.

City Councilwoman Sandra Cavataio, the director of the Shores Finance Committee, said the city had been looking at two possible candidates, but both of them fell through. At press time, she said they had an interview with a third possible candidate Nov. 17. If that candidate doesn’t work out, Cavataio said the city likely will need to hire a headhunter to find someone to fill this critical position.

“There’s a labor shortage, and applications are not coming in,” Cavataio said.

She said there’s a nationwide shortage of government finance professionals.

Mayor Ted Kedzierski is a CPA as well as a tax attorney.

“There’s accounting, and then there’s government accounting,” Kedzierski said. “And there’s a big difference between the two.”

City Manager Stephen Poloni said he reached out to leaders of neighboring cities to see if anyone had used a headhunting firm or had recommendations. One of the cities was able to provide him with the name of a firm they used in the past. He said the firm would charge the Shores $3,000 for a 60-day search for a new finance director.

“They understand the problem, because they’re having the same problem in their business,” Poloni said of the firm.

He said he’s not panicking yet because Giles has offered to lend a hand with financial matters while the Shores continues its search for her successor.

“She has graciously agreed to help us out on some weekends,” Poloni said of Giles.