City steps up as top assistant takes interim manager role in Grand Blanc

The city of Grand Blanc is moving ahead with a plan to keep day-to-day operations running while searching for a permanent leader. Instead of leaving a gap, leaders chose Assistant City Manager Christina Irwin to step into an interim manager position starting June 1. The decision came after Wendy Jean-Buhrer, the previous manager, announced her resignation to take a finance director job in Alaska. Irwin will earn a small extra payment—$1, 500 extra each month—on top of her regular salary, according to the mayor. Jean-Buhrer had been in charge for over ten years and worked in city finance for nearly two decades before that. In a recent interview, she mentioned that every year, she used March to lay out clear goals for what the city should focus on next. She advised the next manager to trust their instincts while working closely with city council members to chart the right course. Despite her long service, she recognized that change can be good and encouraged the incoming leader to embrace fresh ideas.Applications for the full-time job opened on April 2 and will stay open until the end of the month. City officials plan to set up a special committee by early May to review candidates and decide how the interviews will run. The goal is to have the new manager in place before August begins. Mayor John Creasey shared that the committee will narrow down applicants to a short list and present finalists to the council for final talks. The process may move quickly, but it’s designed to make sure the best fit is found. Meanwhile, the interim manager will hold the fort until a permanent replacement arrives.