Three candidates have been chosen from a field of 43 applicants to interview for the position of township manager in Garfield Township. Interviews are scheduled to take place in public Thursday at Garfield Township Hall.

Township trustees voted this spring to create a full-time staff position of township manager and scale back the elected township supervisor role to a part-time job and salary. Trustees last week originally agreed to interview four candidates, but one candidate withdrew. According to consulting firm Amy Cell Talent, the three remaining finalists and their bios are as follows:

Chris Barsheff: Barsheff has been working in the Grand Traverse County Sheriff’s Office since 1996. He has held multiple positions, with his most recent being captain of the corrections division since 2014. He is a subject matter expert with Louisiana State University-National Center for Biomedical Research and Training. Barsheff serves on the Grand Traverse Metro Fire Board and is currently a Garfield Township trustee. He did not participate in the candidate selection process and will be recused from interviewing other candidates and voting on the next township manager.

Jeffrey Thornton: Thornton most recently served as the village manager and clerk for the Village of Caledonia, Michigan. Prior to that he served as the city manager for the City of Negaunee, was a consultant for M&A Services, and was the chief administrative officer/county administrator for Alpena County. He is a committee member of Michigan Municipal Executives, Kent County Clerks Association, and Kent County Treasurers Association. He is a board member of the Grand Valley Metro Council.

Jeffrey Sorensen: Sorensen has been serving as township supervisor for Cooper Township since 2000. He has been certified by the Michigan State Fire Academy as a firefighter and medical first responder. Sorensen is a chairperson of the Kalamazoo County Solid Waste Planning Committee. He also serves on the Kalamazoo Area Transportation Study, the Kalamazoo County Board of Township Supervisors, and Gull Lake Sewer and Water Authority.

Candidates will be interviewed in the following order Thursday: Chris Barsheff (2pm), Jeffrey Thornton (3pm), and Jeffrey Sorensen (4pm). There will be a public reception following the interviews from 5pm to 6:30pm.

Pictured (L-R): Chris Barsheff, Jeffrey Thornton, Jeffrey Sorensen