Stanislawski switches Saugatucks

By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Peter Stanislawski will exit Saugatuck City Hall June 21 and step into Saugatuck Township Hall 10 days later.
After 17 years as city treasurer, Stanislawki has resigned to become township finance coordinator. He will continue his separate role as Township Fire District Treasurer.
The departure, per newly-named fulltime Saugatuck City Manager Ryan Cummins, has been amicable.
“I am very grateful to Peter,” Cummins said, “for his many years of dedicated service to the city. His contributions have been invaluable and he will be missed.
“The good news,” he continued, “is that both Peter and the township are committed to ensuring a smooth transition. They’ve offered their assistance in any way possible, which is greatly appreciated.
“In the meantime, I have been evaluating options for how best to handle Peter’s responsibilities and we expect to post the treasurer/finance officer position soon,” Cummins said.
“Peter is an excellent treasurer,” township manager Daniel DeFranco said. “We’ve seen it firsthand for years.”
In the township, unlike the city, treasurer is an elective position whose holder votes on the five-member board. He or she can opt to do daily office finance accounting, which current treasurer did for a time, but has now retired. So for Stanislawski, it is finance coordinator instead.
In his March 18 application letter for the township opening, Stanislawski wrote DeFranco, “I feel that my skills and background in small-town local government matches your community 108 percent.”
Before starting in Saugatuck, Stanislawski served as Bangor city treasurer from 2003 to 2007. He was business manager for private Harrington Marine six years prior to that.
Stanislawski, who lives on a farm near Grand Junction, holds a B.S. degree in public administration, with a minor in urban planning, from Grand Valley State University.
He is state certified as an assessing officer, public finance administrator and professional treasurer.
Stanislawski become the second city hall veteran switching Saugatucks. Current township planning and zoning director Cindy Osman did so two years ago.