By a 4-3 margin, the Lake Orion Village Council voted Tuesday night to terminate the contract of Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel, after rejecting a motion to postpone the decision by the same count.
The decision comes just two months after two new members were voted to council. New President Rob Reetz and new President Pro Tem David Churchill voted in favor of the termination (along with John Ranville and recently re-elected Doug Dendel), with Churchill making the motion.
Dissenting voters Julie Drabik, Mike Toth and Ken Van Portfliet all said more time, in order to get a better sense of the public’s desire, was warranted. Drabik said there should be a review system in place, allowing the village manager a chance to improve on whatever criticisms council had of her work.
A few members of the public spoke on the issue, all expressing their concerns over a potential termination of Van Tassel’s contract.
The motion called for an ‘immediate? dismissal, but after some discussion, Van Tassel offered to stay for 30 days in order to help the process of finding a new manager run more smoothly.
Churchill then proposed a new motion to that effect, which was unanimously passed.
The village has also announced a special meeting of the council to address the matter, to be held Tuesday (Nov. 20) at 7 p.m.
The public is welcomed to attend and speak, as the council will address the outgoing manager’s severance package and plans for an interim manager position.
For more on the entire story, return to next week’s Lake Orion Review. We will have multiple pages of coverage, including public reaction and a special LO Down.