Menzel drops bid for city manager

TRAVERSE CITY -- Tom Menzel pulled himself out of contention for the city manager position, leaving two finalists and a lot of questions.

Menzel was a popular contender with some commissioners but not with others, causing a rift among the commission that grew deeper over a disparaging comment by Commissioner Deni Scrudato to Menzel during his interview.

Menzel's withdrawal leaves two finalists; R. Ben Bifoss, a project manager for Abonmarche Consultants in Manistee, and Bob Schaumleffel Jr., former city manager of Creedmoor, N.C.

Menzel, director of the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, believes some commissioners had issues with his leadership style.

"There may be some fear by some of them, not all, that I move a little too quickly, I'm a little too assertive, and that may result in a lack of comfort," Menzel said. "Of course the speed with which you use for change is driven by the severity of the situation you're in."

The Cherry Festival needed fast action to avoid going out of business, he said. During his three years as director he streamlined the organizational structure, sold the former headquarters building on Sixth Street and set up a nonprofit foundation.

"You don't make any change without buy-in and commitment from the people you're asking to change," he said. "I just don't think there was the alignment that was necessary to move forward."

Menzel's bid for the job was also complicated by a remark made by Scrudato during his interview. She said that someone told her Menzel's father, a long-time athletic director and coach at Traverse City High School, was an "a--hole."

Menzel said he was very hurt by the comment about his deceased father, although it wasn't the deciding factor in him withdrawing his application.

But Mayor Michael Estes said he was disgusted with Scrudato's comment and that there's no reason it should have been brought up in a job interview. He said he plans to ask Menzel to reconsider.

"I'd never experienced something so cruel. How could anybody say this?" Estes said. "I think it's a huge embarrassment to the city that we would have a city commissioner that would make a comment like that."

Scrudato said that Menzel's father has nothing to do with his qualifications as city manager, and that it was an "offhand" remark about positive and negative comments she received.

"It was just my way of giving Mr. Menzel a reality check that not everyone in town feels he's the best guy for the job," she said.

Scrudato said she was "extremely surprised" Menzel backed out of consideration, and that she's ready to support Bifoss.

"I found (Menzel's) style to be somewhat adversarial," she said. "I've seen him in action on Cherry Festival ... Tom is used to getting his way, and he'll use whatever tactics are necessary."

Commissioner Barbara Budros wanted to hire Menzel after his first interview and is discouraged he pulled out.

"When I was elected, part of it was to make some changes and see things done differently," she said. "I just think Tom Menzel would be the best choice for making that happen."

Commissioner Jody Bergman said she was prepared to support Menzel and Bifoss, but she's still "kind of uncomfortable."

"Lurking in my mind was kind of the question, did we interview the right people?" she said. "I'm sure that will be the topic of discussion at (Monday's) commission meeting."

The three finalists were chosen after interviews with five candidates from a pool of 68 applications, after 17-year city manager Richard Lewis left last month to work for engineering firm CH2M HILL in Atlanta.

Photos

Tom Menzel

Michael Estes

Deni Scrudato Record-Eagle