Only a couple months into his new job and Hillsdale City Manager David Mackie has quickly proven himself to be a positive addition to the city administration.
“He’s doing an excellent job and moving the city forward,” Mayor Scott Sessions said.
Mackie took over for acting City Manager Doug Terry in July, who helped keep Hillsdale on track after Linda Brown resigned for medical reasons in February.
Mackie hasn’t been in charge for long, but he’s guided a number of big decisions already. These include letting go of Board of Public Utilities Director Rick Rose, hiring a new city attorney after Lew Loren announced his retirement over the summer, and addressing water and sewer leaks costing the city big bucks.
Although Mackie didn’t have long to acclimate himself to the city before facing some of its serious problems, he said it helped him overcome the learning curve quicker.
“It brought me up to speed on the city’s underlying issues,” Mackie said.
Amidst the high tensions induced by these situations, Mackie said he feels like he was a “calming presence” and ensured everyone could voice their opinions.
“His personality is exactly what we’re looking for,” Councilman Patrick Flannery said, citing Mackie’s improvement of communication between the council, city administration, and community.
Mackie’s background doesn’t include any city manager experience, but his previous job as Director of Public Services in Taylor, Michigan, and work in private development has prepared him for this position, Flannery said.
Mackie said he was drawn to the job because of Hillsdale’s “progressiveness,” and he intends to build on that.
“We’re not recreating the wheel, but we can see what works and model after that,” Mackie said.
Looking forward, Mackie casts an optimistic vision for Hillsdale.
“The city is looking to break out of the past and create a new name and excitement for the future,” Mackie said. “I want to tap into that excitement. Some people will say, ‘We’ve always done it this way,’ but you won’t hear that from me.”
Some upcoming projects for the city include: updating the Hillsdale Municipal Airport, advancing downtown development, strengthening the city’s relationship with Hillsdale College, tapping into the technological opportunities provided by fiber optic cables running beneath Hillsdale, and finding funding for road repairs.
Sessions said he’s pleased with Mackie’s work thus far and looks forward to his continued impact on the city.
“The city has a lot of building blocks and the city manager is one of the most important ones, because he influences almost every part,” Sessions said. “He is having a very positive impact on the city.”