Troy police chief appointed to serve temporarily as city manager

TROY — Troy Police Chief Frank Nastasi will temporarily serve as the Troy city manager while city officials are still considering applicants.

Earlier in the year, former City Manager Mark Miller retired from the position and officially stepped down in May.

In April, the Troy City Council passed a resolution to appoint Troy Deputy City Manager Robert Bruner as city manager. However, due to some complications, Bruner has remained deputy city manager.

"We have a great team in Troy, and I am happy to continue as Deputy City Manager. The City Council has ambitious plans, and the community has great expectations. I am eager to see what we, as a team, will accomplish," Bruner said in an email.

“This resolution was contingent upon the successful negotiation of an employment agreement; this contingency was not satisfied,” Troy Communications Director Courtney Flynn said in an email. “Additionally, according to the City of Troy Charter, Council shall appoint a City Manager within 120 days of the office being vacated. Troy’s former City Manager, Mark Miller, retired on May 31, 2024, making Sept. 28, 2024, the date in which City Council should appoint a City Manager on or before. City Manager Nastasi has now filled the role while the City Council continues their search for a permanent City Manager.”

Nastasi was unanimously appointed by the City Council to serve as City manager Sept. 16; he was sworn in Sept. 26.

According to Michigan Civil Service regulations, an acting police chief may be appointed whenever there are urgent reasons to fill a vacancy, but this temporary appointment cannot continue for more than three months.

“I’m honored to step into this role as City Manager and look forward to working closely with our team and the community to build on what makes Troy great, ensuring we continue moving in the right direction,” Nastasi said in an email.

With Nastasi serving as city manager, his position of police chief needed to be temporarily filled. Troy Police Capt. Joshua Jones now serves in the role of acting police chief. Jones was sworn in for this temporary position Sept. 26.

Both Nastasi and Jones will serve in their temporary roles for no longer than three months while the Troy City Council continues its search for a permanent city manager.

“Frank has dutifully served this City for many years in our Police Department, and has been our esteemed Chief of Police for almost 6 years,” Mayor Ethan Baker said in an email. “We have watched Frank lead the Police Department with exceptional skills and look forward to having him in our City Manager’s office to continue his ethical, stable, and impressive leadership.”

MGT, formerly GovHR USA, continues to be engaged by the City Council for its city manager search. The Troy City Council originally voted to utilize MGT for a search Oct. 16, 2023, following the announcement of Miller’s retirement. The approved contract with MGT was for $23,500 and obligates the Illinois-based search firm to continue its efforts if the city is unable to successfully reach a contract with a candidate from its initial search. As this was the case, the continuation of the city manager search will not cost the city additional funds for the recruitment portion of the process.

“In the meantime, we continue our external City Manager search,” Mayor Baker said in an email. “The application period ended October 1st, and we have scheduled a Special Meeting for October 21st to review the applicants in a closed door session, prior to the interview list being made public and public interviews being scheduled. I remain very confident in our ability to attract a talented pool of top-notch City Manager applicants and look forward to continuing this process.”

Bruner could not be reached for comment.

For more information, visit troymi.gov.