City manager search back to square one

It will take a while longer before Alma selects a new city manager.

City commissioners were set to interview two candidates at their Tuesday night meeting — current interim city manager Aeric Ripley and Jon Stoppels, the recently retired St. Johns city manager.

However, those plans changed when Stoppels dropped out of the running Monday after being offered the job as Belding city manager.

So now it’s back to square one.

During Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners voted to cancel Ripley’s interview and restart the search process from the beginning in January.

Ripley, who was hired by the city 22 years ago as Downtown Development Authority director and later added the title of assistant city manager, will remain a finalist and be interviewed after other candidates are determined.

“If we have only one candidate and it’s Aeric, and we appoint Aeric, I don’t want to have people down the road say we had to settle for him,” Commissioner Roger Allman said. “It’s not fair to Aeric.” Commissioner Daniel Wenick agreed.

“I would like to see multiple candidates,” he said. Commissioners are looking to replace former city manager Matt Schooley, who retired Sept. 30.

He had worked for the city for more than 30 years as a police officer, transportation director and his final three years as city manager.

A committee composed of Mayor Greg Mapes, Vice Mayor Roxann Harrington and Commissioner Nick Piccolo was appointed to narrow the initial search from about a dozen applicants.

They interviewed six candidates virtually and trimmed the field to three finalists that were to be interviewed by all seven commissioners.

However, one dropped out earlier, leaving only Stopples and Ripley as finalists.

With Stopples now out of the picture, Ripley will have to wait until sometime next year for his interview.

“I apologize you have been put through this,” Commissioner Michelle Pitts told Ripley. “That’s a lot of stress. You don’t deserve to be treated like this.” Harrington concurred. “I don’t think any of us intended to put you through anything like this,” she said. “It’s been a hot mess. It goes without saying it was no one’s intention.”

The search will be brought up again during the first city commission meeting of 2022, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 11.

At that time members will readvertise the job and set a new timeline for the hiring process.

“I do believe we can make the (hiring) process more efficient,” Mapes said.

Rather than hiring an outside consulting firm, commissioners, with help from the city’s human resources department, are conducting the search inhouse.

Ripley will remain in his interim post until the job is permanently filled.