By Staff
Dowagiac City Manager Search Committee announced Friday it will recommend that City Council approve a contract with Linden City Manager Dale Martin to succeed Bill Nelson as city manager.
The search committee of Mayor Donald Lyons, Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Comstock, Third Ward Councilman Leon Laylin, Interim City Manager Rozanne Scherr and
City Clerk James Snow reviewed 33 applications from as far away as Florida and the Carolinas.
The committee then recommended that the full council interview three candidates. Those interviews were conducted on Monday, Jan. 29.
Site visits were made by the mayor, Comstock and Laylin to two of the candidates' respective cities.
Extensive background checks were also performed on the candidates by the search committee.
Additional input was sought from City of Dowagiac department heads – many of whom attended the public interviews.
"Based on all available information," Lyons said, "the City Manager Search Committee is very excited to be able to recommend to Council a person of Mr. Martin's caliber and experience. We were very impressed by his accomplishments in Linden," south of Flint in Genesee County.
"It's a delightful small community that has grown very nicely during his eight years there," the mayor said. "We are looking forward to bringing Mr. Martin's energy and enthusiasm to Dowagiac and working with him to build on our past successes to make Dowagiac an even better place to live, work and
raise a family."
It is expected that Martin, 43, will begin his duties in Dowagiac by late March.