By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC – Dale L. Martin starts work as Dowagiac city manager March 26 after City Council approved his contract Monday night.
Martin, 43, Linden city manager since 1998, will receive $90,000 in annual compensation.
The city will also execute a deferred compensation and trust agreement provided by the International City/County Management Association on behalf of Martin and pay an amount equal to 5 percent of his gross base salary into his retirement account.
Dowagiac will also pay a $4,000 bonus to Martin when he completes three years of service.
Martin was selected from 33 applicants, of whom three were interviewed by the council on Jan. 29.
Mayor Don Lyons, Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Comstock and Third Ward Councilman Leon Laylin visited Linden Feb. 1.
A search committee which also included City Clerk James Snow and Interim City Manager Rozanne Scherr also conducted an extensive background investigation.
The search committee also said it sought input from city department heads, many of whom attended the public interviews.
"It's fair to say Dowagiac is viewed as one of those jobs that anybody would like to have," said Lyons.
Bill Nelson served as city manager for more than 10 years before returning to his native Ohio to Miamisburg.
"Bill Nelson played a very central role in this process," the Dowagiac mayor said.
"We were most impressed with Mr. Martin and his community, Linden. It's a very delightful small town, about half the size of Dowagiac. It's experienced about a 30-percent population growth since he came on the job eight years ago. It's a little different than Dowagiac in that it has no major businesses to speak of or a hospital," Lyons said.
He described Martin as a person who leads from the front.
"It's with great excitement and anticipation for better things to come" that city officials await the arrival of Martin, Lyons added, also saying Martin will "bring a different style of leadership. Bill Nelson's style was perfect for the time and place. He's very much big picture and we accomplished an awful lot of big picture items in the last few years."