The results are in, and it seems the village council likes what they’ve seen from Paul Zelenak so far.
The new village manager, who assumed the office in spring, scored 3.9 on an appraisal scale of 1-5, with 1 being ‘unacceptable? and 5 being ‘outstanding.?
Zelenak’s performance was on the brink of 4, which is defined as ‘exceeds expectations, brings new thoughts and ideas forward while accomplishing the regular requirements of the job.?
‘I think he’s doing a fantastic job,? said Council President Rob Reetz. ‘He’s very accessible and very open to the public.?
Other members echoed Reetz’s sentiments.
‘As far as I know right now, he’s doing an outstanding job. I didn’t think we’d get one this good,? said Councilmember John Ranville.
Zelenak was hired in February after the council voted to oust previous village manager, JoAnn Van Tassel, who recently won a spot on the Orion Township Board of Trustees. Some members of the village council don’t think Zelenak has had enough time on the job to evaluate his performance.
‘I need more time,? said Doug Dendel, longtime councilmember. ‘Six months is just too early. It makes it very hard to judge. It’s something to look at down towards budget time.?
Other members like Mike Toth said the short amount of time Zelenak has been with the village was taken into consideration. He added that while a more comprehensive evaluation will take place in six months, it was good to get the ball rolling with this one.
Toth also had only good things to say about Zelenak.
‘I’ve been very impressed with his forward thinking,? he said. ‘I also like him as a person. He’s easy to talk to.?
The 3.9 score is an average of how the councilmembers rated Zelenak in eight areas: decision making, 3.7; personnel management, 3.7; flexibility and adaptability, 4.1; initiative and leadership, 3.6; community relations, 4.2; relationship with village council, 3.8; planning an financial management, 3.5; communications, 4.5.
‘He always follows up and is very community-minded,? said Ken Van Portfliet. ‘He knows a lot of people in the area. I think he’s an asset for us now, and in the future.?