Assistant City Manager Ted Dearing to retire; Battle Creek posts openings for replacement and fire chief

Mayor Mark Behnke announced that Assistant City Manager Ted Dearing will retire in April after more than three decades of service to the Battle Creek community.

Behnke summarized Dearing’s long record of local public service, saying Dearing served multiple terms as an at-large city commissioner and was mayor in the 1990s, worked in economic development through the Cereal City Development Corporation, joined the recreation department in 2007 and was appointed assistant city manager for community economic development in April 2015. Behnke described Dearing’s institutional knowledge and said he has supported a smooth leadership transition as he prepares for retirement.

The mayor also said the city is recruiting a permanent fire chief; interim leadership is currently in place. "Both the assistant city manager and fire chief positions are now posted and being filled through the city's standard human resources recruitment process," Behnke said during the mayor's report.

Why it matters: leadership changes at senior levels can affect implementation of long-term projects and departmental priorities. City officials said they expect a managed transition and encouraged qualified, service-driven candidates to apply.

What happens next: the city did not provide application deadlines or a projected hire date in the mayor’s remarks. Interested applicants are expected to find postings through the city's human resources channels.