MOST EXPERIENCED -- Commission President Chris Shannon, (center) or former mayors Mike Buda (right) or Kathleen Newsham (left), will be strongly considered for the interim appointment.
City Commission to Appoint Interim Mayor, Eye Sunday AM Beer-Wine Sale Ban
Experience Factor Seen Playing Large Role in Appointment
December 5, 2010
By: Dave Rogers
Bay City will get a new mayor Monday night, with commissioners reportedly favoring someone with experience.
That could mean Commission President Chris Shannon, or former mayors Mike Buda or Kathleen Newsham, would vie most strongly for the interim appointment.
Mr. Shannon seems to have hefty credentials that would be of value to a city in crisis, including that of Certified Public Manager. He has been commission president the past two years.
Shannon also has asserted a "comprehensive strategy to transform Bay City's economy, creating stability and certainty." His vision calls for fiscal discipline, fitting services to the budget and working to keep utility rates stable and service reliable.
"I am committed to developing, advocating and supporting strategies that strengthen and promote Bay City's economic competitiveness and accelerate the creation of jobs," Shannon wrote. "Bay City must have a plan to position for the long term creating a platform for sustainable growth."
The field of nine candidates for the appointment also includes Mr. Buda, retired from Consumers Energy, who boasts 30 years of public service to the city and county; Mrs. Newsham, longtime 8th Ward City Commissioner, who served as mayor 1997-2003.
Other candidates are Hratch Basmadjian, hospitality manager and civic club leader; Joshua Novak, 24; Timothy Rex, Saginaw Valley State University employee and community volunteer; Chad Sibley, cost accountant at Merrill Technologies Group, Saginaw, and member of the city Economic Development Commission; Ralph H. Trepkowski, sales representative with Commercial Equities; and James Tromba, Jr.
The commission also will consider a recommendation from City Manager Robert V. Belleman to ban beer and wine sales on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 12 noon.
And another resolution will be on the table to approve a request from Tri City Brewing Company to add space to allow tastings and/or consumption of alcohol on its premises at 3020 N. Water St.
Commissioner Dennis Banaszak also will present a resolution to purchase at least two Chevy Volt electric autos for fleet operations and provisions for secure overnight recharging.
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