EXCLUSIVE: Meridian Township Manager to resign
MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLNS) – After more than an hour of closed session meeting Wednesday night, the Township Treasurer made the motion “to authorize township counsel and Trustee [Kathy Ann] Sundland and Trustee [Peter] Trezise to negotiate terms of a resignation agreement and consultation agreement with Frank Walsh.”
The move came after more than an hour of continued closed-session meeting that began Tuesday night. Officials met behind closed for three and half hours Tuesday to discuss a “personnel matter,” before recessing the meeting until Wednesday night.
6 News learned the meeting was related to Township Manager Frank Walsh, his job performance, and the findings of a months-long investigation into complaints about his management practices and distribution of cash from the employee wellness and recognition dollars. The investigation also reviewed claims Walsh’s use of township resources to benefit his consulting business were also reviewed by the investigator.
After the unanimous vote, Walsh spoke with 6 News. He says his consulting contract will be fulfilled from his home office and occasionally at the township offices. But he’s uncertain what the consulting will be, exactly.
“It’s still yet to be defined, but it will be a major role with the Township and I’m pleased that the board took the time to to study the issues and and everything that’s out there and decided that I still had a lot of value to the Township,” he tells 6 News. “I’m proud of that.”
Under his contract with the Township, Walsh is paid $160,823 a year plus benefits. If he resigned on his own, he would get nothing. However, if he resigns from his position because a majority of the Board of Trustees demanded it, he is eligible for one year’s salary plus any unpaid vacation and leave days.
Frank Walsh – Meridian Township Manager. (Photo: Meridian Twp.) Meridian Township Treasurer Phil Deschaine. (Photo Courtesy Meridian Township) Scott Hendrickson, Meridian Township Supervisor Pro Tem (Photo: Meridian Twp.) (Photo Courtesy Meridian Township)
The terms of the resignation deal and contracting agreement will be the subject of a special meeting on Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 10 a.m.
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For the first time since 6 News began releasing the results of an extensive investigation into Walsh and the outside legal investigation Monday, Walsh spoke on camera.
He denied he used Township resources to benefit his personal business.
“In no way did I operate my business out of the Township office. I wouldn’t do that. I have my home office. I have a home computer and I have my own cell phone for the business. It was not conducted in this office,” he says. “There were three or four or five zoom calls that occurred with the permission from the supervisor Styka, and that’s that. So, this I was ‘profiting from my business in the Township office’ simply isn’t the case and I just want to thank everyone that’s been involved. I’ve had a great eleven years here. I love this place.”
Former Township Supervisor Ron Styka died suddenly in February of 2022.
6 News’ investigation revealed Walsh was using township resources and time to conduct his consulting work well after Styka’s passing.
Walsh himself told 6 News by email that 99% of consulting work was conducted on his own equipment, time, and locations.
Walsh owns and operates Walsh Municipal Services, LLC. The business helps municipal governments across Michigan conduct searches for candidates for executive-level positions in government.
6 News confirmed with three municipalities WMS had performed searches for. Among them, more than $13,000 was paid to WMS. That was just 3 of the 17 municipal searches conducted by Walsh and WMS in 2023.
His contract allows him to conduct an unlimited number of these searches but requires him to notify the township manager of his activities.
Walsh has been the township manager since 2013.
After the Board’s vote, Township Supervisor Pro Tem Scott Hendrickson read the following statement into the record.
“We are grateful for our employee’s and the public’s patience with regard to the time we have spent to consider the matters before us. We appreciate the manager’s service to the Township and his service to our residents. The decision to move forward in this way was reached on a mutual basis and we appreciate Mr. Walsh’s professionalism and willingness to put the Township first. We believe that the actions taken here and over the next several weeks represent the best possible solution for the Township, our employees, and our residents.”
Meridian Township Supervisor Pro Tem Scott Hendrickson statement April 17, 2024
The Meridian Township Municipal Building (WLNS) 2013 Ethics agreement signed by Frank Walsh. (WLNS) 2013 Ethics agreement signed by Frank Walsh, page 2 (WLNS) Meridian Township Municipal Building welcome sign. (WLNS) Meridian Township Board of Trustees. (WLNS) Meridian Township Manager Frank Walsh waiting outside the Municipal building’s Town Hall room Tuesday night. (WLNS) Meridian Township Manager Frank Walsh’s office at the Township Municipal Building. The photo was taken after he was asked to joined the Township Board in a closed session. (WLNS) The closed doors of the Meridian Township Municipal Building’s Township Townhall Room April 16, 2024. (WLNS) Frank Walsh contract. (WLNS) Frank Walsh contract (WLNS)
Editor’s Note
This report is part of an extensive investigation by 6 News. It involved numerous confidential sources and thousands of pages of public documents. The investigation stems from dissatisfaction employees and residents of Meridian Township have had over an investigation being conducted by an outside law firm into allegations and concerns over Walsh’s manager practices from human resources activity to the handling of township dollars.
All of the sources who spoke to 6 News for this reporting were granted anonymity because they fear retaliation from Walsh and they remain actively involved at the township. 6 News relied on sources verifying information provided, often independently of one other, as well as cross-referencing with thousands of pages of documents.
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