ADRIAN — The Adrian City Commission has named Chad Baugh as their new City Administrator.
Baugh, who has served as Police Chief for the charter township of Canton, Michigan since 1996, was chosen over five finalists for the position.
At last night’s City Commission meeting, a discussion about the candidates was held, led by Amy Cell of Yeo and Yeo HR Advisory Solutions.
Commissioners were in agreement that Baugh demonstrated exemplary experience in managing large budgets and engaging with community members, and noted that Baugh already lives in Adrian.
Several commissioners stated that they were stuck between Baugh and another finalist, Elle Cole, as their top pick.
Two of the key deciding factors were that Cole’s experience as Saline’s city manager did not necessarily match the needs of Adrian, which has over twice the population of Saline, as well as the fact that Cole is still in contention for a city manager position in Boyne City.
Toward the end of the meeting, Commissioner Gordon Gauss moved to hire Baugh, with Kelly Castleberry supporting the motion.
The vote to hire Baugh was unanimous, thus ending a six-month-long search to find a permanent successor to former City Administrator Greg Elliott.
WLEN News spoke with Adrian Mayor Angie Heath and Acting City Administrator Vince Emrick after the meeting, and we will hear from them in a future newscast.