MARKUS

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Township Board will extend an offer of employment to Thomas Markus, former city manager of Lawrence, Kansas.

The board voted unanimously to select Markus as the township’s new manager, contingent upon a successful background check and contractual negotiations.

Markus was to be contacted by phone to inform him of the decision following Monday’s meeting.

Township Supervisor Lyn Durant and Township Clerk Randy Ritari will conduct the negotiations with Markus. Hiring consultant Frank Walsh, current Township Manager Randy Girard and Township Attorney Roger Zappa can be consulted if necessary, according to a separate motion.

Once the contract has been negotiated, the board will have final approval before it is signed.

Board Trustee Dan Everson expressed relief that the search for a manager, which has been going on since August, may be nearing the end.

“I’m glad that this is toward the end,” Everson said. “This has been a process and we’ve all worked very hard at it. We had two very good candidates in the end and one exceptional candidate with Mr. Markus. Hopefully, we can work out an agreement with him and get him up here in June.”

Markus, who currently resides in Schoolcraft County, held his former position from 2016 to 2019, but has worked in municipal government since the 1970s, he told the board during his initial interview on April 28.

The city of Lawrence has a population of 97,286 and is one of the largest municipalities in Kansas, according to the U.S. Census website.

Marquette Township’s population, by comparison, has a population of nearly 4,000 people.

Three other candidates: Mark Borden, executive director for Anesthesia Associates of Ann Arbor; Pat Regan, village manager for Lake Odessa; and Michael Cramer, former town manager for Carolina Beach, North Carolina, were also interviewed on April 28.

Subsequent to the initial round of interviews, the board sought further information from Markus and Regan in follow-up teleconferences on May 5. No candidate has been officially eliminated from consideration, board members said.

The board also voted to extend Girard’s contract to July 31. Markus, if he accepts the position, told the board in a previous interview that he would be available on June 22.

“I just want to say I am very happy with the choice,” Marquette Township Board Trustee Pete LaRue said. “I hope he accepts it… I was very impressed, I know that he would be a good person. And we’ve got some hard times coming in ahead of the township in the next couple years and we need a steady hand (for that).”