Members of the Sumpter Township Hiring Committee are expected to recommend Darwin McClary for the open township administrator position.
McClary, who claims more than 30 years of experience as a city and village manager, holds a master's degree in public administration. He is currently the president and chief executive officer of MuniciPRO LLC, an independent consulting firm working with municipal clients. He founded the firm in 2018, according to the business website.
The other two candidates interviewed for the position were former long-time Deputy Township Supervisor Karen Armatis and Ken D. Marten, currently Bingham Farms village administrator. Members of the hiring committee eliminated Marten during an earlier meeting March 7 based on his salary requirements.
McClary, who has acted as short-term interim manager at multiple communities throughout the area, said he would expect a fair salary for the job commensurate with the population of the township and that the amount was negotiable. He also told the committee members that he would not require health insurance.
Armatis, who worked for the township for 30 years in various capacities including as deputy supervisor, said she would expect to be paid $72,500 and be returned into the township retirement account. She, too, said that she would not need township-funded health care insurance.
Members of the committee include Township Supervisor Tim Bowman, Public Safety Director Eric Luke, Finance Director Scott Holtz, Treasurer Vincent Warren and Clerk Esther Hurst. Hurst was absent from the March 7 meeting and Interim Deputy Supervisor/Trustee Tim Rush attended those interviews in her place. At the end of that meeting, the committee awarded 234 points to McClary and Armatis received 208 points.
Rush told the committee members during the March 14 meeting that he had contacted references for both candidates and found nothing negative about either of the prospective administrators.
Hurst, however, said that she had concerns regarding the brief tenure of McClary at the various positions listed on his resume.
"He doesn't stay long at one place," she said. "I want somebody who is going to stay with us."
Hurst expressed her concern regarding some newspaper articles about McClary's various municipal employments.
Rush explained that he had "checked everything in the articles" and said that "His firings were all politics based." Rush said that after elections, newly-elected officials chose their own support staff. He said that most of McClary's terminations were by mutual consent and that the shortest stay on his resume was a year and a half.
Following more discussion, committee members voted on their choice for the administrator position, currently budgeted at $90,000. Three of the members, Holtz, Warren and Bowman, favored McCLary while Luke and Hurst voted for Armatis.
The issue is expected to be on the next township board of trustees regular agenda.
