Council appoints fire chief as interim city manager

Tecumseh Fire Department Chief Joe Tuckey was appointed acting city manager by unanimous vote Monday by Tecumseh City Council. “Based on my experience with this individual and based on recommendations from others within this administration, I’d like to recommend our current fire chief Joe Tuckey to be appointed as acting city manager,” said Mayor Jack Baker. Tuckey told council there was sufficient coverage at the fire department to help cover the chief duties, with first assistant chief Scot Long appointed to acting fire chief. “Many years ago, I had pleasure while serving as acting city manager appointing Joe [Tuckey] acting fire chief and I’d like to say he never disappointed me,” said councilmember Larry VanAlstine Jr. During Tuckey’s tenure as acting city manager, he will receive a $1,500 monthly pay increase until a permanent city manager is appointed. “We’re very fortunate to have someone with Joe’s [Tuckey] capabilities within us,” Baker said. Tuckey was subsequently appointed as the city’s designee on the Lenawee Solid Waste Committee until a new city manager is selected. In the search for a new city manager, council authorized Tecumseh City Clerk Jessica Hnidy to sign the proposal from the Michigan Munici-pal League (MML) for its “turn-key” proposal to aid in searching for a city manager. The cost is $15,000 for the MML, which is all inclusive, though council authorized the city treasurer to amend the General Fund budget. The amended budget includes a new line item, “City Manager Search,” and has $20,000 allocated for the MML cost. The additional money is there in case of any legal fees that may occur during the search or contract negotiations, expenses associated with the acting city manager and possible relocation expenses, Tecumseh City Manager Kevin Welch said. Monday, city council honored Welch for his nearly 12 years of service to the city by presenting him a plaque.“You’re impact on this community will not soon be forgotten,” Baker said. “And the city wishes best wishes to you and to your family on all your future endeavors.” Welch thanked current and past councils and elected officials, the media, local businesses, residents, the city attorney and city employees. “As you consider a replacement, the one thing I probably cherish the most is this was not just a job for me,” Welch said. “This was apart of my lifestyle, along with my wife and kids’. The most important thing you have to consider for the next city manager is somebody that wants to be part of the community and the community has to be apart of their life.”