Bay City interviews four finalists for city manager; commission to consider candidates June 8

Bay City commissioners interviewed four finalists for the city manager post May 26, hearing each candidate’s introduction, questions from commissioners and public-availability logistics. The commission will receive department-head feedback and a report of public comments collected via QR code before formally considering candidates at a June 8 meeting.

Consultant James Vrino opened the session, explained the interview format and said department heads’ written feedback and anonymous public comments submitted via a QR code would be compiled and shared with the commission. He said the meeting recording would be posted “within five minutes of the meeting ending” and the QR-code comment window would remain open until late the following day.

The first finalist, identified in the session as Brian, described about 20 years in local government and previous city-manager roles, stressing strategic planning, transparent communication and modernizing recruitment and compensation. He said the “success isn’t mine. It’s truly the staffs and the department heads,” and described steps he’s used to recruit and retain employees, including updating classification/compensation systems and marketing position profiles.

A second finalist, addressed in the transcript as Mr. Patrina, said he brings an analytical public-administration background and experience streamlining bureaucratic processes in higher education. He told commissioners he would prioritize visibility and listening, and described bringing a “modern, responsive, datadriven management style” to Bay City.

Rick Haymon, the third finalist, told the commission his long local ties and municipal experience have focused him on communications, fiscal responsibility and infrastructure. Haymon singled out Bay City’s four bridges, saying they are “such a fitting symbol” for the community’s connections and must be the subject of careful public engagement and planning. He also described past work to secure loans and grants for water and road projects and recounted pressing for rate adjustments when necessary to protect utility fund health.

The fourth finalist, Shannon Olabah, described 22 years in municipal government, including work on crisis response and community engagement in larger jurisdictions. Olabah said rebuilding trust requires consistent presence and clearer, more digestible public information; she emphasized coordinated, cross-department responses to complex problems such as encampments and homelessness.

Commissioners asked every finalist about how they would incorporate stakeholder concerns into decision-making, work with labor unions and prioritize limited resources. Candidates repeatedly emphasized starting with the commission’s shared priorities, improving public communication and focusing on short-term urgent needs while developing long-range plans and finance forecasts.

No members of the public spoke during the in-person public-input portion of the meeting. Staff said anonymous QR-code comments and a compiled report would be provided to commissioners Friday morning. The commission has scheduled a June 8 meeting to review candidate packets, department feedback and public comments before any selection or direction.