WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
A consultant hired to provide an overview of Constantine’s municipal operations is poised to take over the village’s highest, non-elected position, albeit on a temporary basis.
Jim Bontrager was brought aboard two months ago to conduct a top-to-bottom review of Constantine’s operations. His services were secured after Village Manager Mark Honeysett indicated back in November he would be retiring in February.
Honeysett has been a village employee for 22 years.
The idea of hiring Bontrager for a six-month period was endorsed by Honeysett, while village council members this week seemed open to the idea.
The proposal is expected to be mulled at the council’s Jan. 19 meeting.
Honesyett’s last day is Feb. 13.
Yeh, no one saw that insider job coming!
The personal friend of the police chief is paid $6,000 for 30 days (that’s $200 a day including weekends) with no consultant education or experience to tell the council, half who have been council members for years, existing staff and elected officials job descriptions, legal responsibilities, fiscal economics and all things managerial in Michigan general law villages only to be placed into the highest paid position?
We thought the stench was the sewer and the pot shops!
Was looking at property in the village and had questions about neighborhoods. Was told to look at Facebook Constantine community page. Glad I did. Will be looking for house outside of village.
I read all the council supports his hiring although he has no actual municipal education or experience. These are the guys who place the blame for Constantine’s enormous debt, poor work quality, decision making, etc. on years of bad management. But they’re smart, best alternative is hire someone who is going to rely on his daughter and the retiring manager for a couple weeks and the ex-bookkeeper to teach him about multimillion dollar budgets?
This council has the nerve to complain about the village messes? Because, and I quote from the TR Commercial article -“We’ve got to do something because we’re coming to a point where somebody’s got to know how to handle a budget and none of us want to and I don’t think anyone back there (current office staff) knows how to handle it either.”
Are you kidding?
I went and picked up a copy of the Commercial article. Mr. Bontrager says he doesn’t really want the job, but never actually says no. That’s called the bs dance. More strange is the reason the council gives for not doing a candidate search. They say no trained professional would want to live here. Think of that. No one in their right mind would live here. So beg this guy?
I read the same article. Council members said that Mr. Bontrager was a good choice because it would be too hard to find anyone qualified willing to move to our town. So our town is just a piece of rfillintheword!
Any commenters going to contact the council? Take the time to attend Monday’s meeting? Voice an opinion beyond pot and guns? I’m guessing no.