By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

BEVERLY HILLS — Chris Wilson knows firsthand about the role integrity plays in leadership.

When he became city manager of Algonac, Mich., in 2004, he inherited the job from someone who was let go for getting unapproved pay advances. But amid the turmoil, an opportunity emerged.

“When you walk into a situation like that, the public has lost a lot of faith in city government and the city manager in particular,” Wilson said. “I learned the importance of working in the community and learning to rebuild that trust.”

Wilson, 33, hopes to build new ties when he leaves Algonac and becomes the village manager of Beverly Hills in August. The situation is different this time — current Manager Renzo Spallasso is merely retiring, and he has received many compliments from Village Council members.

But Wilson said he hopes to jump into his new job by talking to villagers and staffers and by learning more about the community’s direction.

“I think (it’s) very similar to almost every municipality in the state of Michigan,” he said. “There are financial pressures. Revenues are constrained, but expenditures are not so constrained.”

In recent months, village officials have fretted about future budget projections. At its July 15 meeting, the council approved ballot language that would ask voters for a Headlee override in November. The override would raise Beverly Hills’ general operating millage from the current 9.38 mills to the 11 mills that voters approved in 1995.

Wilson called his role in balancing the budget one of the most important things he did in Algonac. He said that when he first arrived, the 2003-04 budget was $223,000 in the red, and fund balance money had to be used. “We realized that was not a sustainable policy,” he said.

Although the next few years spawned deficits, Wilson said, the city began making structural adjustments. By 2007-08, the budget was $31,000 in the black, and the latest budget is expected to have a surplus of about $5,000, he said.

Wilson is planning to move to Oakland County. When he is not managing communities, he is raising his 5-month-old twins and is pursuing a Ph.D in political science at Wayne State University.

Meanwhile, Spallasso will carry on with his duties until the end of July. The village plans to host a public reception in his honor 4-6 p.m. July 31 at the Village Municipal Building, 18500 W. 13 Mile Road.

For more information on the reception, call (248) 646-6404.

You can reach Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1058.