TRAVERSE CITY — Benjamin Marentette will take the reins as Traverse City’s interim city manager — and he hopes to make that switch permanent.
Commissioners agreed Monday to make Marentette, currently the city clerk, acting city manager starting Tuesday.
They also agreed to pay him the equivalent of $187,464 per year, plus $500 per month as a car allowance — that would be instead of his clerk’s salary, he explained previously.
Marentette told commissioners he was honored to be considered as interim city manager. Before the vote, he laid out the expectations he would have, not only of city staff and commissioners but of himself. Much of it related to how he wants everyone to treat everyone with kindness and professionalism, while also being frank and candid when they see something that works, or doesn’t.
“This is a new day for Traverse City government, and I am moved and pumped for the opportunity to serve in this capacity,” he said.
To that end, Marentette offered to meet with commissioners for a closed-session discussion every two months to ensure good communication, he said.
The longtime city employee will serve as the top administrator through January, with commissioners previously agreeing they wouldn’t have enough time to hire a permanent replacement prior to the upcoming city election in November.
That will give city and manager a chance to “date” before they decide whether to “get married,” Marentette said. He anticipates he’ll ask commissioners to hire him to that position permanently when the time comes to apply.
Marentette joined the city clerk’s office as deputy clerk in 2000, becoming clerk in 2011, according to his resume. He previously applied for the city manager job in 2023, but declined after commissioners offered him the post. He told commissioners some professional coaching helped him realize he needed to set boundaries before he was ready for the role.
He listed them, including being more open to remote work, unplugging from work emails on evenings and weekends and going incommunicado during vacations — barring any serious issues.
A serious health issue that put Marentette in the hospital not long after the city offered the job to Vogel also caused him to reassess how he wants to direct his energies, he said. He grew emotional at points, including as he told of his father’s untimely death that he attributed to overwork.
“After working through these necessary boundaries and giving myself permission to truly accept them, I ask that you only vote to approve my appointment if you can respect these boundaries,” he said.
His appointment makes Marentette the sixth city manager, interim, acting or otherwise, since 2023. In April of that year, city commissioners signed a separation agreement with former Manager Marty Colburn for largely unexplained reasons. City leaders then hired Nate Geinzer as interim city manager, with Liz Vogel joining at the start of 2024.
Former Assistant City Manager Penny Hill and current Assistant City Manager Deb Allen also filled in, respectively, after Colburn’s and Vogel’s departures.
When commissioners agreed to Vogel’s $112,071 separation agreement on July 14 — again with no explanation as to her departure — they agreed to look for an interim city manager from within. Along with suggesting Marentette, they considered appointing Deputy City Clerk Sarah Lutz as acting city clerk.
Commissioners agreed to move Lutz to that post Monday to fill in while Marentette is filling in as top administrator.
Along with praise from Marentette, Commissioner Heather Shaw said she enjoyed working with Lutz. Mayor Amy Shamroe said her positivity is a boon to the clerk’s office.
Marentette said Lutz will get a bump in pay to match her increased duties. Reached later by text, he said Lutz will be paid $126,950 per year as acting city clerk.