Ecorse whistleblower to lead DPW
Mark Ragsdale will earn $110,000 salary in new role
Ragsdale is one of three plaintiffs in a whistleblower lawsuit against Ecorse, alleging the mayor and four council members of retaliated against them for reporting alleged fraud in City Hall and the police department.
The Fraser City Council took steps Thursday to fill holes in the city administration, including hiring a Wayne County community official who has been involved in investigating corruption charges in his town.
Council members voted 6-1 to hire Mark Ragsdale, who has been working as a public works director for the city of Ecorse, as Fraser’s new Department of Public Works superintendent.
Ragsdale is one of three plaintiffs in a whistleblower lawsuit against Ecorse, alleging the mayor and four council members of retaliated against them for reporting alleged fraud in City Hall and the police department.
Fraser Councilmember Michael Lesich, who cast the lone dissenting vote against the hire, said he was “a bit risk averse.” During the virtual meeting, he asked Ragsdale if he would return to Ecorse should he prevail in the litigation or if the downriver town is in his “rearview mirror.”
“It will be so far behind me, I won’t be able to see it no matter which way I look,” Ragsdale said.
According to published reports, Ragsdale, along with the Ecorse city administrator and public safety director sent a letter to the city in January advising that a lawsuit would be filled if a settlement in the legal skirmish isn’t reached.
Bingham Farms-based attorney Leonard Mungo told The Detroit News the three officials were “uncovering corruption” involving the accused officials, who in turn threatened to terminate their employment. It wasn’t clear Thursday night if Ragsdale was still employed with Ecorse.
Ragsdale also was investigating alleged improprieties in the water and sewer department and other claims of wrongdoing, including double-billing and overbilling for water and sewerage repair work, Mungo told the newspaper. Other claims involve mishandling of stolen vehicles by the former police chief.
According to his Linkedin account, Ragsdale was hired by Ecorse in November 2020. He formerly worked as a maintenance manager for the Great Lakes Water Authority, owned Shear Envy Salon, and was public services director for the city of Hamtramck.
He said any future depositions involving the Ecorse lawsuit would be done using vacation time from Fraser.
“I look forward to serving the residents of Fraser,” he said.
He will earn a $110,000 annual salary for Fraser, according to Amy Cell, Fraser’s human resources director.
Lesich also expressed frustration over a lack of backup information or proposed contract for the new hire in the city council packet. He said there “nothing in hand” to study before council voted.
Cell said she was extending a conditional letter offer of employment, which included bullet points on vacation and benefits. As an at-will employee, Ragsdale can be terminated for “any reason or no reason,” she said. He will receive a laptop and city cellphone, but not a city vehicle or car allowance, she added.
With the hire, Fraser filled a vacancy that was being manned by interim DPW Superintendent Nick Shaefer, who took over in November 2018 following the retirement of DPW head B.J. Van Fleteren.
Also Thursday, the council voted to hire Vincent Neyland as finance director/assistant city manager. He also will earn a $110,000 salary. The position has been vacant since former finance director Tim Sadowski resigned in December 2019.