Saugatuck Looking to Extend Interim Mgr. Deal as Search for Permanent Mgr. Continues

SAUGATUCK, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – A change of leadership in a Lakeshore community continues.

With the appointment of Mark Bekken to a second stint as Mayor of Saugatuck by his fellow City Council members earlier this month, the search for a new City Manager is ongoing. Kirk Harrier stepped down in September after 15 years at the post, with Karen Doyle Homan assuming the chief operating duties on an interim basis. Her initial contract was set to expire at month’s end, and during Thursday’s Council workshop, Bekken and his colleagues discussed extending that arrangement for another couple of months at a flat $2,000 weekly fee with no additional covered expenses or benefits.

“She’s been more of a facilitator (than a policy maker or advising the city regarding goals),” he said during a Friday appearance on “WHTC Morning News,” “helping the staff continue with their duties so they don’t get bogged down with administrative functions outside their realm. She’s been a real calming influence for us.”

Bekken added that Council should approve Doyle Homan’s contract extension during a special meeting on November 23^rd. A possible permanent City Manager could emerge as early as the scheduled December 14^th Council meeting.