Caro council hires new city manager
Ryan Piche is expected to become the next Caro City Manager effective Feb. 1 after accepting a job offer from Caro City Council on Monday.
Piche, 27, was one of five finalists interviewed by members of Caro City Council Saturday — a day-long affair that began at 9 a.m. and ended at about 4 p.m.
Karen Snider, acting city manager and clerk, Caro, said Piche accepted the offer near the end of the business day Monday.
Piche currently serves as village administrator in the village of Botkins, Ohio.
“I’m really excited to come to the city of Caro,” Piche told The Advertiser. “It just has so much potential, especially in the downtown area, and the people really seemed to be engaged in what is happening in the community, which is always half the battle — trying to get people behind a mission.” Piche also said he believes Caro City Council members “are going to be wonderful to work with,” and gave the group credit for hiring a consultant to help with the search instead of trying to take on the task themselves.
Caro City Council hired Frank Walsh, a consultant with extensive experience in conducting city manager searches, through a $6,000 contract to find the city’s next manager.
Walsh initially told council members that it was going to be a challenge to find applicants given the number of similar city manager positions open in Michigan and the time of year.
However, Walsh helped council secure applications from 26 potential candidates — a field that was narrowed by city council members to five for Saturday’s interviews.
Caro Mayor Joe Greene said it was Piche’s experience and background that set him apart.
“The main thing, I feel, is that he has actual, hands-on experience in being a manager,” Greene said Tuesday, pointing out that the community Piche oversees offers many services that Caro does, including police, water, and sewer. (Read more)
(This story appeared originally in the Dec. 7, 2016 print edition of The Tuscola County Advertiser and can be read in its entirety online here.)
