Sumpter Township Administrator Michelle Cole resigns

Michelle Cole has resigned from her full-time position as township administrator for Sumpter Township on Nov. 22 with a week’s notice being presented to the board.
The resignation took effect on Monday, Nov. 29. A week’s notice is what is stated in Cole’s contract.
In her resignation letter Cole said she would be happy to assist the board as a part-time contractor “until the board and myself agree otherwise.”
Her resignation was not mentioned publicly at the Nov. 23 board meeting but on Nov. 29 a special virtual board meeting was called for Nov. 30 with Cole’s employment status on the agenda plus considering “subsequent actions to address the potential vacancy.” [We will report on that meeting in next week’s paper.] Cole was named township administrator on Aug. 1 at the same $94,000 wage she was being paid as finance director/deputy supervisor. She was hired as township finance director on Aug. 1, 2019 at a starting salary of $65,000.
Cole’s resume shows 20 years of progressive municipal finance experience, starting with Plante Moran and moving on to division finance officer for the Genesee County Water Authority in Flint, 2009-2012; workforce management consultant for KRONOS; regional territory manager for New World Systems, Troy; chief financial officer for Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority, 2016-17; and consultant from 2012 to 2019.
She began working at Sumpter Township for four days a week starting Aug. 12, 2019.
After Tim Bowman was elected supervisor in November 2020, he hired outgoing township treasurer Ken Bednark as deputy supervisor. Then Bednark resigned and Bowman named finance director Cole to also work as his deputy supervisor. She became township administrator on Aug. 1, 2021.
Cole was still doing the job of finance director while she waited for the township to hire someone to do that job.