By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published May 18, 2026
ROYAL OAK — Thomas Markus has been appointed as the next city manager of Royal Oak following the City Commission’s approval of his employment on May 11.
For the past few months, since the previous city manager’s departure, Niccolas Grochowski has been serving as the interim city manager.
The City Commission’s search for a new city manager through Vettraino Consulting, including broad advertising, targeted outreach, professional recruitment efforts and review of more than 70 applications, led it to decide on Markus to fill the position.
Markus’ employment agreement states that employment remains at-will and does not establish a guaranteed term of employment. He will be receiving an annual base salary of $204,000.
During the recruitment process, the City Commission reviewed the candidate pool over multiple closed-session meetings, including supplemental materials, consultant evaluations and additional follow-up information regarding selected applicants, the proposal document in the agenda packet states.
Markus is a city manager with more than four decades of municipal leadership experience serving communities throughout the Midwest, including Birmingham Michigan; Lawrence, Kansas; Iowa City, Iowa; Brooklyn Park, Minnesota; and Wheeling, Illinois, according to his resume.
“Over the course of his career, he has led organizations through periods of transition, operational restructuring, infrastructure modernization, strategic planning initiatives, fiscal stabilization efforts, economic development initiatives, succession planning, and organizational culture improvements,” the May 11 meeting information packet states.
During recruitment, Vettraino Consulting said it approached Markus specifically for his expertise, unique background and reputation.
“The consultant advised that, in light of the City’s recent organizational transitions and the ways in which such dynamics can shape candidate interest, Mr. Markus represents an exceptional opportunity for the City of Royal Oak,” the proposal reads.
In terms of severance and transition provisions, the agreement provides severance provisions generally commensurate with those applicable to the City’s Executive Department Heads rather than the more extensive severance packages sometimes associated with traditional long-term municipal manager contracts, the proposal states.
The agreement includes the city’s standard 90-day executive severance provision after six months of service.
Mayor Michael Fournier said that he felt as if City Attorney Niccolas Grochowski’s introduction to Markus was spot-on and highlighted the years of experience that Markus will bring to Royal Oak.
“It highlights the significance of having somebody with decades of experience in municipal leadership across many different municipalities that are dealing with many different types of situations,” Fournier said. “To have that experience come to us in the form of Mr. Markus, I think is a big win for Royal Oak, and I am just very grateful.”
Commissioner Monica Hunt said that she had the opportunity to meet Markus and is excited about him coming aboard.
“I feel he has a wealth of experience and that is something that’s going to be able to help keep things moving in the direction that we are hoping to move here in Royal Oak,” Hunt said. “I look forward to working with the new city manager.”
Commissioner Brandon Kolo agreed with Hunt.
“I also had the opportunity to meet with Markus. I think that this is a great opportunity for us to continue moving forward, find new leadership with stability here,” Kolo said. “This is not an interim position; this is multiple years that Mr. Markus is going to be here helping us continue to evolve and continue to move forward.”
Paul Bastian spoke on his perspective as a newer member of the City Commission.
“It will be fantastic to have Mr. Markus in place and have a consistent presence. Someone with decades of experience is very welcome by me,” Bastian said. “I appreciate the guidance that he will offer to the city in general, but also to us new folks in particular. So, I am very excited.”
Markus had a chance to speak to the commission and community following the unanimous approval.
“I am humbled, excited, but probably not happier than the city attorney, Mr. Grochowski,” Markus said. “I’ve been gone from the business now for about two and a half years — I left Birmingham. To me, working towards having someone trained and ready to move into the city manager’s position is one of the most important parts of the role of a city manager.”
Markus said that along with his excitement to be appointed as city manager, he also secured a place to live in the city of Royal Oak.
“We inked a lease today, so we will be residents here in the city of Royal Oak, and we are within walking distance,” he said. “I’ve achieved a couple of goals. I found another city to serve and it’s walkable. I can walk over here to City Hall. Thank you for this support, I will endeavor to make you very proud and feel like you made the best decision you could for your city manager.”
Markus will officially begin his term as city manager on May 20. For more information, visit romi.gov.