Saline City Council Selects New City Manager

Saline City Council selected candidate Dan Swallow to fill the city manager role at their June 22 meeting. After a multi-month decision process, Swallow was selected from a pool of three finalists in a 4-3 vote.

After the departure of the previous City Manager, Deputy Manager Elle Cole took on the position’s responsibilities in the interim. The hiring committee created by City Council interviewed 47 applicants and selected four finalists, who were interviewed in an open meeting May 21. Cole was not one of the final candidates, and at subsequent city council meetings, several members of the community came forward to support the inclusion of her in an additional round of interviews. The Council passed a following motion to invite Elle Cole and two of the other finalists for another round of interviews, which were conducted on June 22.

“All of the individuals we interviewed publicly are highly skilled public servants with distinguished careers in the government sector,” Mayor Brian Marl said. “Each has accomplished great things during the course of their professional careers, and regardless of the outcome tonight, I am certain that they will continue to do great things for the people that they serve and they represent.”

Marl, a member of the initial hiring committee, expressed his support for Dan Swallow, a candidate from Tecuhmseh with several years of city manager experience.

“I also believe that Mr. Swallow has the emotional intelligence and maturity to effectively lead our organization, resolve conflicts when necessary, build a cohesive team within city hall and avoid unnecessary drama or other distractions,” Marl said. “I also believe that our organization at this critical juncture would benefit from an external set of eyes reviewing and evaluating our established protocols, policies and procedures. It is clear to me that Mr. Swallow is the best choice to lead our organization in the ensuing news years.”

Councilmember Jenn Harmount voiced her continuing support for Elle Cole to be offered the City Manager position.

“We asked somebody to do the job,” Harmount said. “They showed up. They were hard working. They gave good weekly summaries. They came to the table with creative problem solving that included collaboration between stakeholders. Acting City Manager Elle Cole is the person I’m talking about. She identified financial risks and solved them again and again. So we’re looking at a potential good fit, or somebody that’s currently doing the job and doing it to all accounts in a really great manner.”

After concluding the second round of interviews and the following discussion, councilmember Jack Ceo put forward a motion to extend a conditional offer to Swallow, pending negotiations and a background check. The motion was passed.

Further information will be released by the council as the hiring process continues. In the interim, Acting Manager Cole will continue her work with the city.