WALKER, Mich. — Walker's city commission has unanimously selected Shay Gallagher as the next city manager. Mayor Gary Carey cites the candidate's ability to provide both immediate stability and long-term vision for the community.
"We had five great candidates. I mean that this is always it's never an easy decision. This was a really tough decision," Carey said during an interview Wednesday. "What Shay brought was the immediate, short term, plug and play. He knows us. He's a strong partner with us."
The decision comes as Walker faces significant leadership transitions. Current City Manager Darrel Schnalzel is retiring at the end of February, and the assistant manager position was opened up in October by retirement.
"Darrel is retiring at the end of the month. We don't have an assistant city manager in place," Carey explained, explaining the urgency of the decision.
"The long term, we were looking for somebody to come in and put roots down ... taking a long term view."
The selection was particularly significant given Walker's upcoming leadership changes. Four of the seven commission seats will be term-limited in the fall election, and several key city positions face retirements this year.
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