Bruning resigns as city manager; last day Aug. 11

The Rogers City Council met for a special meeting Friday morning to accept the resignation of city manager John Bruning. Bruning was recently selected as the ?best qualified candidate? to become Administrative Health Officer of District Health Department No. 4. His last day as Rogers City?s manager is August 11, and he is slated to begin his new position August 14.

BRUNING TOLD the members of the city council that his experience as the city manager has been enjoyable, and that he is looking forward to new challenges and opportunities. ?Five years went by in a blink,? said Bruning. ?The city staff has been a great bunch of people to work with, and they will be missed.? Bruning was hired in July of 2001 as the assistant city manager to Rob Fairbanks, who then retired in 2003. ?At that time (2001) I had been working for the Health Department in the field as sanitarian,? said Bruning. ?I was working toward my Masters in business administration, and I wanted to get into public administration.? The position as assistant to Fairbanks offered Bruning the opportunity he was looking for.

?How cool is it to work for the same city you grew up in and called ?home??? said Bruning. ?It worked out for me at that point in time.? After Fairbanks retired, Bruning stepped up into the city manager position, with two years of preparation under his belt. Before working for Rogers City, he had 11 years of experience with the District Health Department No. 4.

?I WORKED in the A

tlanta office, and eventually transferred to the office in Presque Isle County,? said Bruning. Now, Bruning will be headed back to the Health Department, but in a position much different than fieldwork. ?I?ll be taking over for Jay Heilman, who is retiring,? said Bruning. ?I?ll be responsible for the operation of the department, and in a way, it is a very similar job to being city manager.? Bruning said he is excited about his transition, and is prepared for new experiences. ?It?ll be interesting, but I?m familiar with the Health Department,? said Bruning. ?There will be challenges, but I?m looking forward to it.?

Meanwhile, the city of Rogers City has been set in motion to hire a new city manager to take over Bruning?s position once he leaves. The city council decided to advertise the position in newspapers from Rogers City, Alpena, Traverse City, and Petoskey. They have also agreed to place the job posting online at the Michigan Municipal League website. City Clerk Theresa Heinzel will act as city manager during the interim period.

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