By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com


Pending negotiations on a contract, the Brighton City Council has selected its new city manager, and the one chosen is, in fact, an in-house candidate.

She is Gretchen Gomolka, a Genoa Twp. resident, the current acting city manager and city finance director. Gomolka was chosen from an original field of 38 candidates which was whittled down to five semi-finalists and an eventual three finalists. That was reduced further to two when Genoa Twp. Manager Mike Archinal announced Monday he was withdrawing from the race. The other finalist was Cedar Spring, MI, City Manager Michael Womack. Cedar Springs is a town of about 3,600 residents located north of Grand Rapids in Kent County.

Brighton Mayor Kris Tobbe was high in his praise of Gomolka, telling WHMI, "We had outstanding candidates from within city government and outside, (but) Gretchen has done a great job in the last six weeks of taking over the helm. She really earned the position and has worked hard for the city.”

After the meeting Gomolka told WHMI, in her words, “I am deeply humbled by council’s confidence in me.” Gomolka said she would, again, quoting, “strive to meet the expectations of council, the staff and the community as I transition to city manager.”

Archinal, the other finalist, issued a statement Monday evening, saying, in his words, “Brighton is an outstanding community, and I wish them success in their search. After much soul searching, I decided that I was not the best fit for the position.”

Tobbe said they hope to have the contract details regarding Gomolka ironed out, with the t’s crossed and the i’s dotted — by the first meeting in August.

Gomolka, a licensed certified public accountant, has a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University in business and a master’s degree from EMU in accounting. She was employed as an associate auditor at Plante & Moran from 2005-2013; finance director in Meridian Twp. near Lansing from 2013-2016 and has been the city of Brighton’s finance director from 2016 until the present. Gomolka is also immediate past president of the Michigan Government Finance Officers Association and a former president of its board of directors.