Traverse City commissioners voted 6-1 Monday night to accept the resignation of City Manager Jered Ottenwess – a move that will now commence the search for a new city manager.

As part of the decision, commissioners agreed to pay 90 days’ severance pay and benefits to Ottenwess, who tendered his resignation last Friday after pleading not guilty in 86th District Court to charges of domestic violence and attempting to assault a police officer. The resignation agreement also mutually waives any right to claims between the city and city manager.

Commissioner Tim Werner voted against accepting Ottenwess’ resignation, stating his frustration that “everything’s been decided by the media” and that commissioners didn’t have an opportunity to speak with Ottenwess directly or gauge his interest in retaining his position. Werner said letters he’d received from constituents had been “very supportive” of the city manager.

But attorney Matt Vermetten, who represents Ottenwess, told commissioners the city manager had not been solicited or pressured to resign, but instead made the decision "because the city of Traverse City deserves to have someone who can commit their full resources to the city, and he can't do that at this time." Vermetten added that Ottenwess had "weighed the ramifications” and is “getting the help he needs,” noting that Ottenwess "feels it's in his best interest, the city's best interest and his family's best interest to move the ball forward."

Commissioners subsequently voted 6-1 to appoint Assistant City Manager Penny Hill as Acting/Interim City Manager until a full-time replacement for Ottenwess can be hired. While some commissioners publicly questioned Hill’s failure to disclose the cause of Ottenwess’ absence to the commission even though she was “aware of the totality of the circumstances” since February 17, according to City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht, others defended Hill and noted the difficult position in which she and other city employees found themselves.

“I don’t see any substantial wrongdoing,” said Mayor Michael Estes. “There might have been some judgment calls…but I can assure you, you would have made similar decisions if you had been put in those positions. These are employees of the city manager.” Estes also noted the city “has continued to function very well” under Hill’s direction over the past two weeks while Ottenwess has been absent.

Commissioner Ross Richardson opposed the appointment, suggesting instead the city pursue hiring an outside interim city manager. He recommended exploring bringing back former city manager Ben Bifoss to fulfill the role on a short-term basis until a permanent replacement could be found. “I do feel strongly that we need a strong leader,” Richardson said, citing Bifoss’ expertise and familiarity with city issues. Richardson’s recommendation was ultimately overruled by the rest of the commission.

Commissioners unanimously agreed to launch a search for a new city manager. City HR Generalist Jamie Caroffino presented commissioners with three options for the search process, including hiring an outside search firm, hiring the Michigan Municipal League (MML) to find candidates, or handling the process internally. The first two options came with price tags including $20,000-$30,000 to hire a search firm and $15,000-$25,000 to use MML, while an internal process was estimated at $5,000 including advertising costs and hiring a third-party vendor to perform background checks.

Though Commissioners Gary Howe and Jeanine Easterday expressed interest in using MML to ensure they received the widest pool of candidates possible, the board ultimately decided to proceed with the internal option. Commissioner Jim Carruthers noted the city has “already received letters by email from city managers” interested in the position. “There are people out there who want this job,” he said.

An ad hoc committee of city commissioners including Richardson, Werner and Easterday was appointed to oversee the hiring process.