Albion has faced political controversy and upheaval in the past few months. So has its new city manager.

Darwin McClary, who was hired as Albion's city manager in September, spent the previous two years as the city manager of Ypsilanti. He resigned from that position in March amid accusations of racial discrimination.

At issue was McClary's decision to hire Livonia Fire Captain Phil Kamm as fire chief over Ypsilanti's then-interim Fire Chief Ken Hobbs, who has served in Ypsilanti for more than 30 years. Kamm and McClary are both white. Hobbs is black.

Albion city leaders say the way McClary handled the situation in Ypsilanti is a testament to his integrity and part of the reason he was hired.

"What I took away from that situation about Mr. McClary was that, from my understanding, the majority of his council was pressuring him to do something that he didn't agree was right. He stood his ground. He didn't buckle to the political pressure," said Albion Mayor Pro-Tem and Precinct 3 Councilwoman Sonya Brown said . "I understand the allegation of racism, but I think for me, and I'm a black woman, his explanation of the ethical piece of it is what I believe."

'Nothing but racism'

Many members of the Ypslinanti community and a majority of the Ypsilanti City Council thought that McClary's choice was racially motivated.

"Every black person in here knows, I bet this is nothing but racism," Ypsilanti Mayor Pro-Tem Lois Richardson said, stepping down from her seat to address city council during public comment at a March 4 meeting. "You've never heard me call the race card in the 18 years that I've sat here, but tonight I stand here and I call the race card because that's exactly what it is, and every black person in here knows it."

McClary submitted his resignation as Ypsilanti city manager at a special meeting held March 7.

"Was this action taken in the spirit of transparency? Was it taken with adequate time and investigation so that we could be sure of the best possible outcome for our city?... The answer is no," Ypsilanti Mayor Beth Bashert said at the meeting where McClary resigned. "I believe putting the fire chief hiring on hold and initiating an investigation would have been a responsible action that I would have supported."

Following McClary's resignation, Kamm's offer letter was rescinded by Ypsilanti's acting city manager, Tony DeGiusti.

Kamm filed a complaint in June against Bashert, members of city council and the city of Ypsilanti for race discrimination. McClary was not named in the complaint.

Bashert said she could not comment on McClary's decision to resign or his time as city manager in Ypsilanti because of the ongoing litigation.

In Kamm's complaint, McClary is quoted as standing by his decision.

"I encourage anybody to look at the qualifications of the candidate that we selected... to determine who was the best candidate for the position, it was not (interim Chief) Hobbs," McClary said, according to the complaint.

In a response to the complaint, an attorney for Ypsilanti defended the city, saying that the decision to rescind Kamm's offer was based on "legitimate nondiscriminatory factors" and that any damages to Kamm were the result of negligence of people not named in the complaint.

20 candidates

Albion began its search for a new city manager in May. Albion's former manager, LaTonya Rufus, resigned in March and faces two charges of embezzlement. She served as city manager for only five months. The previous city manager, Sheryl Mitchell, had a tumultuous relationship with members of city council and resigned in 2018.

Twenty candidates applied for the city manager position, and four were interviewed, according to Albion Mayor Dave Atchison. Candidates were recruited and screened through the Michigan Municipal League, and community members had the opportunity to meet the finalists at a meet-and-greet in August.

"What made Mr. McClary stand out, besides the fact that he had basically three decades of experience doing this and had worked in various municipalities, I think what came across to every single member on council... and what resonated almost unanimously across the community was his integrity," Atchison said.

McClary has held similar positions for nine municipalities in south central and eastern Michigan including Lake Orion, Garden City, Eastpointe and Highland Park. According to his resume, McClary has experience in infrastructure improvement, community and economic development and strategic planning.

"He had a lot of experience in many, many areas that Albion needs to come up with solutions, as far as infrastructure, improving the marketing image of the city to encourage people to come here and businesses to come here." Atchison said. "He just came across as an outside-the-box thinker, innovative, and very, very principled individual."

Atchison said that the controversy in Ypsilanti didn't concern Albion's City Council.

"I have no concerns that there's any inappropriate or unfair treatment or any inconsistent dealing with anybody based on race, gender, political party, or sexual orientation or anything else," he said. "I just don't see that ever being an issue with this man."

'A breath of fresh air'

McClary did not respond to multiple interview requests from the Enquirer, but at a meet-and-greet held in Albion on Oct. 15, he talked about his desire to move forward and focus on the positive in Albion.

"Albion has all of the necessary resources to lift up the community, to be a premier community," he said. "I can tell you that I'm going to work cooperatively with the City Council, with our citizens, with our business community, with the wonderful college that we have here because it takes all of us working together to make great things happen in this community... So we need to continue pulling all of those elements together and moving forward in a positive way, and let's put the negative background noise behind us, and stay focused on the long term vision."

City Council unanimously approved a four-year contract with McClary in September with a starting salary of $105,000 per year. His first day on the job was September 30.

City leaders said that McClary is bringing new ideas to the city and is coming up with solutions for how to make them happen.

"I find so much hope in having Mr. McClary here because he's already come in with like, great ideas," Brown said. "He's like a breath of fresh air."

Contact Elena Durnbaugh at (269) 243-5938 or edurnbaugh@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ElenaDurnbaugh.