Peter H. Askew
153 Zoll Street
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
November 21, 2025

Mayor Thomas Graham, Jr.,
Members of the City Council
City of Harbor Springs
160 Zoll Street
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
Dear Mayor Graham and Members of the City Council,
I urge you to take a hard and honest look at the workload being forced upon you
over the next 30 days by the outgoing City Manager. The volume and pace of
what he is pushing onto your agenda are unrealistic and leave you without the time
necessary to exercise sound judgment on the major decisions now in front of you.

Two issues rise above everything else: the 2026 budget and the selection of a new
City Manager. Both require focus, time, and thoughtful decision-making, none of
which are possible under the schedule you are currently being handed.

The City Charter sets specific requirements for the timing of the budget hearing
and the final adoption of the 2026 budget. Several of these deadlines have already
been missed. The Council should now make meeting the remaining December
deadlines its top priority. Instead, the November 17th meeting spent valuable time
on trivial matters, including discussion of a wedding and on new member training
that, while admirable, is not legally required. What is required was the submission
of the 2026 budget by the City Manager on November 17th, yet that critical item
never even appeared on the agenda.

The hiring of a new City Manager is the most consequential decision you will
make. The process must be deliberate and well considered. Instead, you are being
placed on an impossible timeline. Proposals are due to the outgoing City Manager
on December 4th, and you are being told to select a firm at the December 8th
meeting, immediately following a public budget hearing. This means you are
expected to evaluate proposals to fill one of the most important leadership roles in
this city with only a few business days to review them.

This is not responsible governance. It is a rushed, ill-conceived schedule being
imposed by someone who is already on his way out the door. You should not
allow an outgoing City Manager to force you into making poorly informed
decisions that will impact this community for years to come. The stakes are too
high, and our city cannot afford another misstep, especially in choosing its next
City Manager.

I strongly urge the Council to reassert control over its own process, reset the
schedule, and prioritize work that truly matters above everything else. The zoning
code presentation the outgoing City Manager is forcing upon you at the December
1s meeting, then again at a public hearing on December 15″h (his last day as the
City Manager) can wait. The city does not have a zoning problem today. It has a
City Manager problem.

Sincerely,
P.4.J
Peter H. Askew
Cc: Victor Sinadinoski, City Manager