Note: Director McClanahan was officially sworn in by Clerk Leon Wright just after 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 28, before a crowd of about 50, which included a contingent of VBT police officers who lined up and congratulated him after the brief ceremony. In some brief remarks, McClenahan said just before the recall election in February he typed up his resignation. After the recall failed, he shredded his resignation, he said, and began doing what needed to be done in his department.
Carl McClanahan, who was appointed Van Buren Township interim director of public safety a year ago and was sworn in to the position in December, was named permanent public safety director on July 20.
Supervisor Paul White recommended McClanahan for the permanent position and his recommendation was ratified by the board on a 4-2 vote.
Board members elected in 2008 — Clerk Leon Wright, Trustees Denise Partridge and Al Ostrowski and Supervisor White — were the four voting in favor of McClanahan.
The holdover board members from the previous administration, Treasurer Sharry Budd and Trustee Jeff Jahr, voted no. The third holdover board member, Trustee Phil Hart, was absent. Supervisor White said Hart told him he would be “traveling.”
The three holdovers voted against making McClanahan the interim director last year.
At the workshop White brought in Charles Castle, an EMPCO consultant, to give a brief presentation on the process that was used to evaluate the candidates.
Jahr objected to hearing another presentation that they already heard when they hired EMPCO.
“A couple of board members expressed dissatisfaction with the process,” White explained.
“Not me,” Jahr said, adding, “We’ve heard the presentation.”
White asked Castle to make his presentation short.
Castle said he was a senior consultant for the police side of EMPCO and would give some brief comments but wouldn’t get into the specific scores or the scenario used.
He said EMPCO makes sure no one doing the evaluations knows any of the candidates so they can “remove any inside biases.”
He said they don’t measure the education or resumes, since when candidates reach this level as finalists, those things have already been scrutinized.
He said EMPCO tests and measures the management skills and abilities.
“I met with the supervisor a while ago and got the township history and jobs analysis and sent a questionnaire to all board members and they answered three questions” on the duties expected, Castle said.
There were three assessors. He said he held an orientation meeting with the four candidates and they were given an exercise for an oral presentation. Castle said it usually involves them preparing for a press conference or a report to the board, such as researching taser use.
The candidates scored against standards, not each other. Also, each candidate prepared an oral resume. After more explanation, Castle concluded: “That’s the Reader’s Digest version of the assessment.”
Supervisor White gave the background of the appointment as he presented the agenda item.
The board had previously allocated McClanahan’s interim pay for nine months, so it was about to run out. He had been paid an annual salary of $89,000, pro-rated.
His new personal services agreement calls for a salary of $90,000. The board majority agreed to re-allocate $45,000 from the undesignated fund balance in the current budget to the director wage line item. The board also approved reevaluating the public safety department line items during the budgetary process to return anticipated overages back to the general fund.
Supervisor White said in March the updated job description was approved by the board and the township advertised for applicants. Thirty-seven responded, including McClanahan.
On April 20, the board voted to hire the firm of EMPCO, Inc., which specializes in testing services for public safety and municipal governments.
Each board member was given a copy of all the applicants’ resumes and was asked to providing their listings of the top candidates. This allowed the field to be narrowed to five, who were then given to EMPCO for evaluation.
One of the five immediately removed himself from the pool and so the remaining four were tested by EMPCO on June 8 and the results given to the board. McClanahan got the top score.
By the time the board got to personal interviews of the top four, two more had dropped out – Westland Police Chief James Ridener and Warren Police Captain Scott Pavlik.
On July 12, McClanahan and former Bloomfield Hills interim director of public safety Paul J. Myszenski, now retired, were interviewed in public session. Trustee Hart was not present, but Myszenski said Hart called him and interviewed him over the phone.
When the agenda item on the public safety director was brought up at the work study session on July 19 – where there is no cable TV coverage – nothing was said concerning White’s recommendation, with Jahr just complaining about having the EMPCO presentation.
At the July 20 board meeting, with live/recorded cable TV coverage, however, Trustee Jahr pulled out a lengthy prepared statement and began reading, starting with, “I suspect I will not be voting with the majority on this item.”
Jahr said it was obvious that McClanahan would be appointed to the position before the previous director even left. He referred to Jerry Champagne who was fired in May 2009 by the four new board members. Since then, Champagne sued and the township settled for more than $400,000 for him and his lawyers.
Jahr said he didn’t want to disparage Carl McClanahan, but the voters also elected him [Jahr] and, “I owe the voters my independent judgment… We’re all simply doing the job we were hired to do.”
Jahr complained that in the past, under the previous administration, consultants met with the board and discussed the strengths and weaknesses of candidates.
He said McClanahan got the highest score of 92%, but the board was not told why. He said EMPCO did not explain the details of their assessment, and Jahr said he realizes that is proprietary.
“It is our responsibility to pick the best candidate,” he continued. He said the township received 37 candidates and he spent a lot of time going over their resumes and rating them on their credentials.
“A number of candidates appeared to be more qualified than” McClanahan, Jahr said.
Jahr claimed Supervisor White published the EMPCO scores in a paper and that’s why two candidates dropped out. (White told the Independent he did not give the scores to anyone but other board members and one of them shared it with the public. He said he did not see any scores published anywhere.)
Jahr said he felt “a new and uninvolved candidate would serve to heal the community.”
Treasurer Budd said she completely agreed with Jahr. She complained that now McClanahan is getting a raise when the township is making cuts.
Supervisor White said the process he followed was called for by the trustees and the board hired EMPCO, which has a good reputation.
White said McClanahan passed the evaluation with a high score and then he passed his psychological evaluation with a high recommendation.
White said McClanahan had shown courtesy and respect for all the township board members.
He said it was “demanded by the board of trustees that we go through the process and we did and he came in first.”
“I don’t have anything against Carl,” Budd replied. “But why waste money on a search when you knew all along who you were going to pick?”
Clerk Wright said he has been listening to the statements from board members twice a month – every other week. Last year he said there were statements that he was connected with McClanahan and later that was determined to be unfounded.
He said he had no personal inklings who would get what positions at the township through he has been accused of that.
“I demanded we go through the process to see who was the best,” Wright said. “I told him [White] he doesn’t have a vote from me until we find out who is best.
“It’s appalling to me that we went through the process and it still doesn’t satisfy certain individuals. I don’t know why,” Clerk Wright continued.
He said he has talked to members of the Public Safety Department and they have given their support to McClanahan.
“Why the other gentlemen stepped down, I haven’t a clue,” Wright said, adding, “It’s an honor for me to make the motion to hire Carl McClanahan.”
His motion was seconded by Trustee Ostrowski.
“There have been statements made that he isn’t the man for the job,” White said. “Director McClanahan came to the top of the group.”
He said Pavlik dropped out because he wasn’t able to get his retirement as planned and would have lost $12,000 a year in benefits if he resigned now.
White said he has received glowing reports from officers on McClanahan. He said he has asked McClanahan to take the politics out of the police department and, “Carl has been admirable in doing so.” He said he is making small strides and large strides in the department and has worked to reduce overtime.
“A year and a half ago, I asked for community policing and recently that was instituted,” White said.
“I believe Mr. McClanahan has risen to the position and is the best fit for our community,” said Trustee Denise Partridge.
After the 4-2 vote accepted McClanahan as the new public safety director, the audience broke out in applause.
In a related action, the board voted 5-1 to confirm the supervisor’s reappointments of Michael Miazga, Raymond Bailey, and Diane Madigan to the Public Safety Committee with terms to expire July 30, 2012.
Budd cast the only nay vote, complaining that in the past a committee member who wanted to be reappointed was told she needed to fill out an application and because she didn’t she wasn’t reappointed.
“Because of the process and what has been going on, I will be voting no,” Budd announced.
Budd said there was no input from the board or from Director McClanahan for these reappointments and she objected to that.
Barbara Rogalle Miller said she filed a Freedom of Information Act request through former Supervisor Cindy King, asking how many of her appointments had been nominated by board members and the FOIA response was, “Zero.”
Community Policing Officer Adam Byrd said he was speaking as a resident of VBT and he said it has been an honor to work with this Public Safety Committee.
He said two years ago the community voted and four new board members were elected because of the new transparency promised. He said the new Public Safety Committee members are going to meetings in the community, spending their hard-earned money, and reporting back to the committee.
“I’m very proud and glad to support the Public Safety Committee,” Byrd said.
“I support the Public Safety Committee,” Budd replied, “but we have to have a system. Either fill out forms or not. I’m against the process, the way it was done. He didn’t even ask the director.”
White said he talks to the director every day and Budd replied that she emailed McClanahan and asked him if he had input and he said no.
“It’s the process,” Budd insisted.
“I don’t understand why you say that,” Wright replied.
“It’s how it’s done,” Budd repeated.
“This is a reappointment,” Wright said. “We can sit here and talk committee members down. Just approve it or don’t.”
“He told ladies they couldn’t be reappointed without filling out an application,” Budd persisted.
“Nowhere in the bylaws does it say ‘ask the director’,” said resident John Delaney from the audience, adding the late Max Johnson worked to take the committee away from the control of the Public Safety Department and it was set up for the supervisor to determine the appointments. It was not up to Director McClanahan to put in any vote,” Delaney said.
“When the recreation committee members were appointed, the director has a recommendation,” Budd said.
Delaney said Budd insinuated that the director did not have input and, “It was not his shot to take.”
Public Safety Committee member Reggie Miller said she couldn’t be more proud of the committee. She said when she was first appointed she felt terrible, “Mrs. Budd knows,” because there should be a set policy for people who wish to serve their community.
Miller said she supports McClanahan’s appointment and supports Community Policing Officer Adam Byrd.
“In case you don’t realize it, politics plays a role,” said resident Charles Tackett. “When you get to be the big dog, you get to make the appointments. It’s no secret I did not support Cindy King and she didn’t put me on the planning commission.
“He’s the supervisor and he has the right to make the appointments,” Tackett said. “Let’s not diminish the office of supervisor.”
White said he’s proud of the people he has appointed and some carry advanced educational degrees. “I am proud of the quality of the people we have serving. It’s outstanding the way people have risen to serve.”
The 4-1 vote was taken and Budd voted no, explaining she is against the process not any person.
Wright observed, “You see true democracy at work. We make a decision and not all agree. I respect every person at this table. We agree to disagree and this is the democracy you voted for.”