Negaunee city manager receives performance review
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NEGAUNEE -- Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron received his regular performance review recently at a Negaunee City Council session.
The performance review was conducted by third-party Harding Group L.L.C. Management Services, and sampled 10 city department heads, seven city council members and five city partners who responded to a survey about Heffron's work managing the city of Negaunee.
The anonymous survey asked participants to rate Heffron on categories such as fiscal management, grant acquisitions, regulatory compliance and comprehensive planning.
The management service found that Heffron is performing "at an above expectations level overall," with the support of 70% of department heads, 80% of partners and 72% of council members surveyed.
"It's apparent that there is a divide in both the department head group and the council who may not agree with the direction the city and/or Nate (Heffron) is headed, but he continues to get more support and higher ratings from the majority of both groups," read the review's overall conclusions.
Some general themes from individual comments about Heffron's work include that he is active and present in the city and is advancing and growing Negaunee, but also some commenters noted that he is "abrasive and dismissive to staff sometimes" and some of those surveyed have micromanagement concerns, as well as concerns about Heffron's fiscal responsibility.
There were also reports from those surveyed that three city department heads had left "because of Nate (Heffron)," and that he had created a "hostile work environment and an atmosphere of fear."
The management service provided a lengthy list of recommendations for the city, including that the council create a committee that "deals with human resource matters," that the issues at the senior center get addressed, that the city annually has their accounting firm formally review finances and audit results, that the city require regular training sessions on sexual harassment/hostile work environment/discrimination and that the city require exit interviews for any employees leaving the city.
The Mining Journal attempted to contact Heffron, but did not receive a response.
Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.