MI: Julius Suchy, Village Manager, Village of Sparta

Suchy takes over as Sparta village manager

Fifty Nifty Takeaways

What do we hope to learn from this series? We hope you will gain a better understanding of the unique characteristics of local government in each state, we hope you will learn that there are others like you who are motivated to make a difference through the public sector, and we hope you will learn that it is best to learn from others’ mistakes than yours.

Our Take on Michigan

The mere mention of local government in Michigan generates discussion about the financial crisis in Detroit, and the impact on surrounding cities. (Pontiac was the latest city to land in the crosshairs of the New York Times.) ELGL is excited the current initiative to increase its presence in Michigan. Here’s some information on that effort: Pure Michigan: ELGL Launches in the Mitten State, The Assistant: Victor Cardenas, Novi, MI, and 360 Review with Andrew Opalewski, City of Troy, MI.

With that understanding, the Fifty Nifty returns to Michigan with the hopes of finding a city that defines the popular “Pure Michigan” videos. We landed in Sparta, MI to hear from Julius Suchy. Julius was recommended by Alan Mond, MuniRent and Nathan Mehmed, ‎Community Planner at Williams & Works.

Michigan is the ninth most populous and 11th most extensive total area. Its capital is Lansing, and the largest city is Detroit. Michigan’s personal income tax is set to a flat rate of 4.25%. In addition, 22 cities impose income taxes; rates are set at 1% for residents and 0.5% for non-residents in all but four cities. Michigan’s state sales tax is 6%, though items such as food and medication are exempted from sales tax. Property taxes are assessed on the local level, but every property owner’s local assessment contributes to the statutory State Education Tax.

Before we learn more about Julius, we must first take a look at some of the “interesting” laws enacted by other Michigan cities.

Clawson: There is a law that makes it legal for a farmer to sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens.

Detroit: Putt-putt golf courses must close by 1:00 AM.

Grand Haven: No person shall throw an abandoned hoop skirt into any street or on any sidewalk, under penalty of a five- dollar fine for each offense.

Soo: Smoking while in bed is illegal.

Wayland: Anyone can keep their cow on Main Street downtown at a cost of 3 cents per day.

Background Check on Julius

Julius Suchy (LinkedIn) was appointed Village of Sparta Village Manager in June 2014. Previously, he served as Village Manager in Dundee, MI from 2011 to 2014. In Dundee, he was responsible for a $2.1 million general fund budget and $10 million dollar overall budget to fund administrative services, public safety, public works, streets/roads/pathways and water and sewer operations. Julius’ first local government job was Village of Spring Lake Project Intern.

Julius received an undergraduate degree and an MPA from Grand Valley State University.

Background Check on Village of Sparta

Sparta has a population of 4,140 and is in Kent County. The village was settled in 1846 by Jonathan Nash who originally named the area Nashville.

Sparta has two museums in operation today reflecting on the history of the establishment of Sparta with the Myers Schoolhouse Museum and the T.S. & M Railroad Depot. Village Hall is one of the most historic buildings in the Village of Sparta.

Lightning Round

Best advice from your parents:

It really wasn’t advice, but my father instilled a great work ethic in me from an early age. My family emigrated from Czechoslovakia in the early 80’s and he had to work hard for everything he did coming from a different culture and learning a new language. When I am in the office late I always think about what my dad had to go through to give me the opportunity to be in this position.

In a dream world, which bands would headline your retirement party?

The opening band would be the Beatles, Eminem would hit the stage next and Journey would close out the night with Faithfully, Wheel in the Sky, Anyway You Want It and the encore would be Don’t Stop Believing. I have an eclectic taste in music!

Before I die I want to…. Be a good friend, husband and father and hopefully make a difference in each of the communities I serve.

Three most influential books in your life:

Bo’s Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership (Author – John U. Bacon)

Servant – A Simple Story About The True Essence Of Leadership (Author – James C. Hunter)

90 Minutes in Heaven (Author – Don Piper & Cecil Murphey)

If you could FaceTime with five people (dead or alive, not including family members), who would be on the list?

Jesus – This is an obvious one… so many questions.

Bo Schembechler – I would ask him how he would fix Michigan football.

Babe Ruth – I would love to pick his brain about what he thinks about today’s baseball and what he thinks of the “steroid era of baseball”.

My grandfather – he passed away when I was around 6 years old.

George Washington – I would be interested to hear what he thinks of America and how it has grown since he was president.

Describe the inside of your car:

The front of the car is clean except for the occasional Mountain Dew bottle but the back seat has a car seat base for my daughter Leah (10 months old) and a collection of baby related items. Also, I have a scraper on the floor, it is Michigan so you never know when you will need it!

What’s the meaning of life?

If I knew that one I think I would be a pretty popular person!

Q & A with Julius

Give us three bullet points that best describe local government in your state.

Partisan Politics in the Legislature

Unfunded Mandates from the State

Professional Local Government Managers

What was your dream job as a 12- year old? What was your first local government job? How did you end up in local government?

When I was a kid I wanted to become a police officer, but I think that is every 12 year old boy’s dream job. My first local government job was as an intern for the Village of Spring Lake. My undergraduate Organizational Theory class was taught by Spring Lake Village Manager Ryan Cotton. In his class he related a lot of the material to local government which got me interested. I ended up volunteering to assist with their Master Plan and eventually received an internship, the rest is history. I have also always enjoyed playing Sim City (City Simulation Game) so it seems fitting that I would make this my profession.

Give us your top three career achievements:

Becoming a city manager at the age of 24

Organized “Chill on the Hill” event in Vassar, MI that required closing state trunk line and dumping over 75 loads of snow to create sledding hill approximately 1,000 feet long into the downtown. The event was a success and the community received a community excellence award from the Michigan Municipal League.

While serving as Village Manager of Dundee, MI the community had the 2^nd worst flood in its history. Village staff was amazing and citizens came together to fill sandbags and distribute them throughout the impacted area. It was refreshing to see so many people giving back to help out their neighbors. The flooding was localized and impacted a large portion of the community but the damage was mitigated through this community effort.

Name one or two career mistakes that you have made that you think we could learn from?

Early in my career I was eager to continue my career climb and I ended up leaving a good organization that I was very happy with to an organization that I was not a great fit for. I learned that I was not a good fit for the culture over time, despite my attempts to change the culture and ultimately ended up leaving and took a better position closer to family. This experience taught me a valuable lesson about leaving a position you are happy with.

If you have an issue with specific council members or the mayor/president micromanaging it is important to make those issues known to the entire council. It is very difficult to bring this issue up if it has been going on for a number of months when an issue arises that puts you in a bad light. It is best to have the rest of council work with you to make sure all council members are working in their role so you can work in your role as a manager.

Many people think we are “planner” or “mayor”, has this been your experience?

I have had numerous people ask me if I am the mayor of each of the communities I have served. I use this as an opportunity to educate them on what my role is as the manager and let them know what role the Mayor/President and council play. Although in smaller communities the manager can also wear the hat as Planner/Zoning Administrator so they aren’t completely wrong.

How can local governments better communicate their role in the everyday lives of the community?

Unfortunately the majority of interactions that the public has with local government is negative (police, water/sewer shutoff, blight ticket, etc.) Due to this it is extremely important to have great communication with citizens when it is not related to a negative incident. If it is related to a negative incident it is important to be as courteous as possible, the citizen won’t be happy with the outcome but they may at least feel they were treated properly. Communities can be proactive through social media and their website to communicate a positive message.

Would you encourage your family and friends to consider a career in local government?

Yes, I definitely would recommend a career in local government to anyone I know. Although it can be a frustrating career, it can be extremely rewarding when you see positive change in a community during your tenure as manager. More often than not working in local government is a thankless job, however when a plan is implemented and the community benefits as a whole it is a great feeling.

Three steps someone can take to make a good impression during an interview?

Make eye contact

Know what position entails, it is surprising how many times I will interview someone who has clearly not read the job description.

Be honest, if you don’t know have an answer to the question tell me how you might find the answer. I don’t expect everyone to have perfect answers for questions regarding an organization the interviewee has not been a part of.

Name three of your mentors.

Ryan Cotton, City Manager – Holland, MI

Craig Bessinger, City Manager – Ferrysburg, MI

Steve Sobers, City Manager – Big Rapids, MI

In 2018, local government will be…

More transparent due to advances in information technology

Hopefully in Michigan it will be better funded. I can dream right?

What question(s) should we have asked you?

Not sure, I guess that means this was the toughest question.

MI: Julius Suchy, Village Manager, Village of Sparta

Suchy takes over as Sparta village manager

Fifty Nifty Takeaways

Our Take on Michigan

Background Check on Julius

Background Check on Village of Sparta

Lightning Round

Q & A with Julius

Supplemental Reading

50 Nifty Archives

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