By a 4-3 margin, the Lake Orion Village Council voted last Tuesday night (Nov. 13) to terminate the contract of Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel, after rejecting a motion to postpone the decision by the same count.
The issue was not originally on the agenda, but was added by President Pro Tem David Churchill, who also made the subsequent motion.
‘This was not an easy decision for me,? Churchill said. ‘I have been serving this village for 15 years now as a police officer. I have pledged to protect and serve. Over the years, I have had a lot of opportunities to come in contact with hundreds of our residents. I have enjoyed a relationship of sorts with JoAnn for many years and I have no ill-will towards this woman. I have heard, however, a resounding theme from our residents, business owners and employees of dissatisfaction with JoAnn.?
The decision comes just two months after two new members were voted to council. New President Rob Reetz and Churchill voted in favor of the termination (along with John Ranville and recently re-elected Doug Dendel).
Dissenting voters Julie Drabik, Mike Toth and Ken Van Portfliet all said more time, in order to get a better sense of the public’s desire, was warranted. Drabik said there should be a review system in place, allowing the village manager a chance to improve on whatever criticisms council had of her work.
See VILLAGE page 11

‘Everybody that I spoke with agreed that it should be a process that takes some time,? Toth said of the firing. ‘People in the village should be notified so that we can get an idea of what our constituents think. If you guys don’t want to postpone this to the next meeting, I would take that to mean that you’re not confident in whatever position you are taking tonight.?
Toth added that Churchill promised to give him a ‘heads up? before the issue came before council, but Churchill said plenty of notice was given.
‘This is not an item that should come as any surprise to any of us,? Churchill said. ‘This is not something that you just heard about when you came in here and sat down tonight.?
After the meeting, Van Tassel said she was well aware that the item might be coming forward, as Churchill had requested a copy of her contract shortly after being elected.
‘I obviously knew there were members of council that wanted to get rid of me,? she said, adding that Churchill had approached her after work a few weeks prior.
‘He suggested that I resign or retire and I chose not to do either of them,? Van Tassel said.
Van Tassel has served as village manager since 1999. She was the supervisor of Orion Township from 1980-1992 and has also served two tours as a trustee on the township board.
‘I think we need new ideas,? Churchill said, after making the motion to terminate. ‘I think it’s ludicrous to think that we cannot find anybody that can replace JoAnn. I agonized and have had many sleepless nights in coming to the decision that we need to replace JoAnn.?
As for postponing to allow for public input, Churchill said council members should have been getting public opinion all along.
‘It is your duty to stay in touch with the residents, the businesses, everybody,? he said, ‘not to say now, ‘oh, we’ve got to get a hold of them.? You should have been doing this all along. When you lifted your arm and you swore to serve, then you should’ve taken it a little more seriously.?
Ranville said that some employees and business people would be afraid to come forward because of reprisals.
The minority said the positives for allowing the public to speak, far outweighed the negatives.
‘I know that my position here is for the people, of the people, and I would like to be in consensus on that before I make any rash decisions,? Van Portfliet said. ‘For me to be able to weigh what’s the right and what’s the wrong, I need to have public opinion.?
Toth added that members of the public blaming Van Tassel for enforcing the elected council’s many decision is like ‘shooting the messenger.?
Drabik suggested some sort of 30-60-90 day plan to review Van Tassel’s work.
‘Maybe we’re putting the cart before the horse. Maybe what we need to be doing is sitting down as a council and say, ‘this is not right, this needs improvement, this is where we have a disconnect,?? she said. ‘It’s not fair. Especially when we have somebody that’s hard working and does care about this community, and probably puts in double the amount of hours of the average full-time position.?
Prior to council’s vote, a few members of the public, including former councilman Bob Hollenbeck spoke on the issue, all expressing their concerns over a potential termination of Van Tassel’s contract (see Page 10).
The motion called for an ‘immediate? dismissal, but after some discussion, Van Tassel offered to stay for 30 days in order to help the process of finding a new manager run more smoothly.
Churchill then proposed a new motion to that effect, which was unanimously passed.
‘I think it was important for the effective function of the village,? Van Tassel said of her desire to stay on for 30 days.
She added that her interpretation of the contract was different from how council handled the termination, but she would not pursue the matter legally.
‘What purpose would it serve? I work for the people of Lake Orion. I just happen to report to the village council,? she said.
Van Tassel will have a six-month severance package kick-in after the 30 days. As for what is next for her?
‘I haven’t given it a whole lot of thought,? she said.
Van Tassel said she would be glad to have some time away from the constant barrage of nightly meetings that her position calls for.
She added that she has many tasks around her house to accomplish and that her new puppy would certainly be happy to have her at home more often.
She said she was proud of the work that was accomplished during her tenure, especially in the parks and resolving several traffic issues.
‘This village is very fortunate because they have a talented staff in that front office that puts the issues of the village first,? Van Tassel said.