City manager search now in final stages

By Charles Sercombe
The search for Hamtramck’s next city manager is now in its final stage.
At last week’s city council meeting, the city attorney, Odey Meroueh, said he and staffmembers of the administration will review the applications the city received – over 130 of them – to make sure no one was overlooked for being considered.
He said the council and mayor (who also votes on who will get hired) will be presented with “a transparent, full, unbiased opinion and recommendation as to what the choices are, but really it’s just more of a breakdown for you so you can see who is maybe even qualified for a follow-up interview.”
So far, the city has whittled the finalists to eight candidates, including Interim City Manager Max Garbarino.
Only Garbarino has experience as a city manager, but Meroueh said the council could consider whether other administrative experience can also qualify a candidate.
After the city attorney and administration staff review the applications, a council sub-committee will further review the finalists.
Councilmember Mohammed Hassan, who is on the sub-committee, said there will be interviews. But what’s not clear is whether those interviews will be done in public, or behind closed doors.
Posted Feb. 3, 2023