Lapeer City Manager Mike Womack has been on the job just over a year now, and he was recently evaluated for his performance. The results of his evaluation made for an incredibly mixed review.
Mayor Debbie Marquardt expressed admiration in her evaluation of him covering the period from November 1, 2023, to May 8, 2024.
Mayor Marquardt praised Mr. Womack’s communication with the commission as “excellent” and emphasized his genuine concern for the city of Lapeer.
The mayor’s strong support for the city manager is evident as she awarded him the highest grade possible in the evaluation, indicating that in her mind he exceeds expectations.
City Commissioner Marlena Swindell echoed the mayor’s sentiment, also awarding Mr. Womack the highest grade for his performance.
Commissioner Swindell concluded, “Our city is fortunate to have his fresh perspective guiding the day-to-day operations, ensuring all stakeholders are heard.”
However, not all commissioners were quite as enthusiastic in their praise of the city manager.
Commissioners Joshua Atwood, Stephen Brady, and Linda Glisman all rated Mr. Womack as “B” (Meets Standards), providing a blend of positive feedback and criticism in their evaluations.
Commissioner Atwood, the city’s longest-serving sitting commissioner, offered constructive suggestions where he had concerns. He described a tool he suggested for the city manager as “a to-do list,” aimed at aligning goals with the city’s Master Plan.
Although Commissioner Glisman ultimately felt that Womack was meeting standards, she did say that she didn’t, “believe that the city manager knows or acknowledges what the commission’s current vision is.” Limited to a “Yes” or “No” response, Commissioner Glisman’s answer to the question, “Does the City Manager exercise good judgement?” was – “No.”
Far less favorable was the evaluation made by City Commissioner Melissa Petrie. Petrie was the sole evaluator to issue Mr. Womack a, “C” for his work, generalized by the rating key as “needs improvement.” What follows is a list of additional comments made by Commissioner Petrie.
“Does not always respond positively to suggestions or guidance.”
“Seems to get visibly frustrated if questioned or Commission wants something done differently than his suggestion.”
“Odor ordinance for cannabis businesses has not been enforced effectively”
“His oral communication is often condescending.”
“Many posts on Facebook are not professional or business related.”
“I don’t feel the commission’s policy directives have been carried out in a timely or effective manner.”
“While Mike communicates often it can be verbose. Also if I have a question or concern, it often turns into a back and forth, almost dispute. Very frustrating. It often causes me not to communicate in order to save the discussion from turning adversarial.”
When Hashtag Lapeer asked Mr. Womack to address the more pointed criticisms he received he wrote, “The Commission, myself, and City staff are still navigating through a transitional period together and I’m concentrating on making the Lapeer government work for everybody. I remain committed to working with the City’s amazing employees, board members, residents, businesses and the City Commission to move the City in a business-friendly and citizen-focused direction.”
