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A
SSOCIATED
N
EWSPAPERS OF
M
ICHIGAN
P
AGE
2
May 29, 2014
I
NKSTER
- W
AYNE
- W
ESTLAND
School board chooses new superintendent
Cities to combine service in new department
Members of the Wayne-Westland
Community School Board of
Education voted unanimously to
hire the first woman superintendent
of schools in the district.
Boardmembers selectedMichele
Harmala, currently an associate
superintendent for instructional
services and organizational leader-
ship in the Farmington Public
Schools as their choice as the top
candidate for superintendent of the
district during a regularmeeting last
week.
If contract negotiations are suc-
cessful, Harmala will begin work
July 1. She will replace Dr. Greg
Baracy who announced in January
that he would be leaving the district
next month. Baracy has been the
Wayne-Westland superintendent for
19 years.
During her final public interview
with the board members, Harmala
spoke highly of the district accom-
plishments and programs. She visit-
ed Hicks Elementary School in
Inkster, P.D. Graham Elementary
and Adams Upper Elementary
schools in Westland and Wayne
Memorial High School prior to the
interview. She also attended a
reception at the school board
offices.
She told the board members that
she wanted to be the new superin-
tendent inWayne-Westland although
she was also a candidate for the
superintendent's job in Southfield.
She said that her first two to three
months on the jobwould include vis-
its to the district buildings and talks
with the staff. She told the board
members she would use that dia-
logue to determine what the dis-
trict’s values are, what is working
and what might need to be changed.
Harmala described her manage-
ment style as collaborative but said
that when decisions have to be
made, she canmake them.
Trustee Charles “Trav” Griffin
said he expected Harmala to do a
good job for the district. “I think she
is an excellent candidate,” he said.
“I think we're going forth with a can-
didate as a united board and she
sees that. I think that will pay divi-
dends.”
Board Treasurer Frederick
Weaver described Harmala as head
and shoulders above the other can-
didates for the job and said he felt
she was the best choice for the dis-
trict.
If the board members and
Harmala can now negotiate a satis-
factory contract, her official hiring
could be announced at the June 9
meeting of the board.
Wayne and Westland have once
again partnered to reduce costs yet
provide qualified leadership,
noted Westland Mayor William
Wild in a statement announcing
themerger of the respective Public
WorksDepartments.
In a move expected to save
Westland approximately $180,000
per year by avoiding typical
employee benefit and legacy costs,
Ramzi El-Gharib, long-time Wayne
City Engineer/DPW Director, has
been contracted to serve as the
jointWayne-WestlandPublicWorks
director.
The agreement will also save
Wayne $160,000 annually, accord-
ing toWild.
El-Gharib and the communities
have signed a three-year contract
that sets an annual fee of $70,000
for Westland and $30,000 for
Wayne. El-Gharib will provide
oversight for both cities in the
areas of water and sewer distribu-
tion systems, road repairs and
snow removal and fleet manage-
ment beginning July 1.
El-Gharib, who possesses a
State of Michigan S-1 Water
Distribution certification, is also
licensed as a professional engineer
and has been serving as Interim
City Manager as well as Public
Works Director for the City of
Wayne. El-Gharib will not receive
healthcare or retirement benefits
under the agreement.
"Both communities will realize
tremendous cost savings from this
agreement which is yet another
chapter in our efforts to develop
innovative partnership opportuni-
ties that save tax payers money
and allow both cities to use those
dollars in other areas of fiscal con-
cern;" commented Wild. "Ramzi is
a proven leader and because of our
shared boundaries, his experience
and professional credentials, he
can hit the ground running in over-
sight of projects such as the
Newburgh/Cherry Hill Road inter-
sectionproject."
The shared interlocal agree-
ment is the sixth between the
cities, the most recent of which
continued the shared fire chief
and fire services agreements.
EMS rocks!
The staff at Oakwood Hospital-Wayne took the celebration of
Emergency Medical Services week to a new level last Friday, dedicat-
ing a plaque in honor of the partnership between the hospital and
community EMS workers. Pictured are: firefighter Carl Peters, Sgt Rob
Caccia, firefighter Matt Peczynski, Sgt Gordy Cronk, Capt. Bob
Stoddard and Jay Bonnell. "May is a month when we honor all of our
heroes," said Division President Eric Widner. The plaque reads: First
responders and hospitals, dedicated partners in service.
Photo by Scott
Spielman
Ramzi El-Gharib