Timothy McLean is passionate about local government and he’s hoping to bring that passion to Oxford Village.

Last week, McLean, the current city manager for Wayland, Michigan, was interviewed by council for the village manager position that opened up earlier this year when Joe Young was fired.

“Public service is all that I’ve ever wanted to do professionally,” he said. “I’m a second-generation public servant. My father, who has passed away, he was a city manager professionally and as a child, I spent a lot of time in his office. When I was in grad school studying public administration, a lot of the things that got talked about in his office – things you don’t really think about when you’re 5-6 years old – (they) came back.

“It got me thinking, local government is where I want to be. Not to sound cliche, but to me, it’s a calling. Once I got a taste of public service, I said this is all I want to do. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

McLean was interviewed by village President Sue Bossardet and council members Erik Dolan and Maureen Helmuth. Council members Dave Bailey and Tom Kennis were absent.

McLean was hired as Wayland’s manager in November 2015 and started the job in January 2016. There, he oversees a budget of approximately $4.8 million and supervises 20 full-time employees, including six department heads.

Established in 1868, Wayland is a full-service city, near Grand Rapids, with police, fire, public works, water and sewer services for its approximately 4,079 residents. It also has a Downtown Development Authority.

Prior to Wayland, McLean worked as the assistant to the city manager in Jonesville, Michigan from 2011-15. Before that, he was an administrative intern for the City of Troy from 2010-11.

He has a master’s degree in public administration from Bowling Green State University (2010) and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Grand Valley State University (2003).

“I (went into) public service because I wanted to leave a community better than I found it,” he said. “I don’t want a regular 9-5 job. I want a job that, to me, has purpose. And I don’t see anything that gives me more purpose than doing what I do every day at city hall.

“There’s days where I get in the office at 7 in the morning and I’m there till 10 o’clock at night. Yeah, it tires you out, but it’s what I live to do. I don’t view it as a 40-hour-a-week job. (When) I leave work at the end of the day, I don’t stop being the city manager of Wayland. I figure once you step into that role, you are that role. You eat, sleep, breathe that role. I don’t view myself as ever being off-the-clock. And I view that as a strength.”

Based on his resume, McLean has some significant accomplishments under his belt.

As Wayland’s manager, he oversaw construction during two major street projects last year and oversaw construction of a $521,000 park renovation project that included new playground equipment, space for pickleball and a splash pad.

“From the minute we cut the ribbon and got the splash pad running until the minute the season was over, that park was always occupied, corner to corner,” McLean told council.

In Jonesville, he “played an integral role” in successfully transitioning the community from a general law village to a home rule city and assisted in the development of a new city charter.

McLean was asked by council to rate his leadership ability on a scale of 1-10 and he gave himself a 6.5.

“One of the things I’ve learned is that there’s a vast difference between management and leadership,” he explained. “I find it’s easier to manage than it is to lead. I feel like I’m still striking a balance between the two. As I’m new, I’m still learning. I can only see that score getting higher.”

McLean made it clear he does not believe 6.5 is acceptable and “there’s room for improvement.”

“As a first-time manager, I’ve made my lion’s share of mistakes and I like to think that I’ve learned from each one of them,” he said. “I don’t see that 6.5 as being something that’s going to be there for much longer.”

McLean noted he’s not the type of person who believes it’s his way or the highway.

“I don’t see myself as a guy that comes in and says, ‘I know it all. You’re doing it wrong. We have to do it (like) this, this and this,’” he said. “I need to take the time to work with everybody to find out what are the things that we’re doing well and continue to build on (them).”

He would also make it a point to study the areas in which the village is deficient and determine what can be done “to make it better.”

“I feel like if we’re not learning something, improving, getting better every day, then we’re in the wrong profession,” McLean said. “The day I have nothing new to learn is the day that I need to hang up my public service hat altogether.”

“Let’s work together,” he added. “Let’s find a system that’s going to provide the best possible services to our residents in a way that’s cost-efficient.”

As a manager, McLean believes strongly in having a good working relationship with the clerk.

“It’s been my experience in municipal government that your clerk tends to be your go-to person, kind of your right hand,” he said. “A lot of your clerks have been in the profession a long time. They know a lot.”

McLean has experience successfully obtaining grants. In Jonesville, he helped secure a grant of approximately $55,000 to purchase an abandoned railroad corridor in order to transform it into a non-motorized, recreational trail.

“I learned a lot,” McLean said.

He also helped secure a $296,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to develop the trail. McLean noted this grant program is “highly competitive.”

“We got the grant on our first try,” he said. “We were just (as) happy as can be.”

McLean believes local government has to be “inventive” when it comes to “finding new streams of revenue.”

“We have to seek out grants whenever possible,” he said.

McLean makes it a point to attend grant-writing seminars offered through organizations such as the Michigan Municipal League and Michigan Municipal Executives.

“I figure you can never get enough education and training on grant writing, especially (with) as competitive as it is today,” he said. “I take advantage of that whenever it’s available.”

When it comes to promoting economic development, McLean believes the municipality must work together with the Downtown Development Authority, the chamber of commerce and the county. “I see it as a collective and collaborative effort,” he said.

When it comes to economic development tools such as tax abatements, McLean said, “I think, in some cases, (they) can be ideal,” but “you have to be very mindful and cautious of going down that road.”

“I think you have to find unique solutions to attract businesses without giving away the farm,” he said.

Having a strong and successful downtown is something that’s important to McLean.

“That’s your lifeblood right there,” he said. “The first impression I had of Oxford was entering the downtown and I was impressed.”

McLean is a big proponent of public safety.

“Law enforcement has always been near and dear to my heart,” he said. “Prior to getting into a grad program for public admin., I had a great deal of interest in joining the law enforcement community. I’ve always had a lot of love for police departments (and) our fire departments. I believe that public safety is the most important service that a municipality provides.”

“I try to be very hands-on with the police department without micro-managing. I want to make sure that the needs of public safety are being met,” McLean added.

McLean assured council that “honesty and integrity are two things that I place a very high value (on).”

“When you work with the public, when you give your word, you have to keep it,” he said. “I think if you don’t have honesty and integrity, then you have no place in public service.”