By Jim Hayden
Correspondent
The Laketown Township Board agreed at a Sept. 2 special meeting offer a revised contract to Stephanie Fox to become the township’s next manager.
It comes with an amendment that the board evaluates her performance after 90 days and 6 months in the contract’s first year.
The offer came after board members asked questions about Fox’s role in a previous job as administrator of Ionia County and her answers on the job application for the manager position.
Fox challenged negative allegations from former employees and county commissioners, saying her references and employee evaluations show her as professional, calm and a good steward of taxpayer money.
“I like to have a good time. I like to have hard workers but I also want to have a good relationship with all employees,” she said.
The final vote on the amended contract was 4-1 with supervisor Steven Ringelberg opposing the offer.
The proposed contract is for two years and sets Fox’s annual salary at $110,000 with the possibility of a bonus of up to $15,000 if she meets agreed-upon objectives set by the board in her first 30 days. The proposed contract also includes added vacation days requested by Fox.
The contract states a new manager must start by Oct. 15.
Ringelberg has been handling manager duties since the departure of 30-year manager Al Meshkin in January. Ringelberg’s contract ends Oct. 31.
Last Tuesday’s meeting was the third interview with Fox, who is now executive assistant to the Kentwood city mayor.
She was chosen as a finalist from a field that started with 45 applicants.
The board voted 4-1 July 21 to begin contract negotiations with Fox pending a review of her references.
Ringelberg, the only “no” vote, said it was clear to him that Fox’s application was not truthful, so he could not vote for her to be manager.
On and after July 21, the board received additional information regarding Fox, obtained more records from her time as Ionia County administrator through the Freedom of Information Act, and received phone calls from several Ionia County residents that raised questions about her performance and integrity in her former post.
