By Tim Unruh
As Salina City Commissioners embarked on replacing City Manager Mike Schrage this past week, they received some input in writing from local stakeholders.
A Jan. 15 letter signed by leaders of for-profit and nonprofit organizations, included some advice in choosing a replacement for Mike Schrage, 56, who retires Feb. 7 after 19 years with the city, the past 6 1/2 years as city manager.
The letter — with a promise of confidentiality — suggests a deep search for the right candidate who aims to improve Salina’s standing as a growing community. It was made public earlier this week.
“… Over the years, our city has adhered to a tradition of internal promotions which, while producing a sense of continuity, has not facilitated fresh perspectives and new ideas that could benefit our community,” a portion of the letter reads. “Historically, whether anybody likes it or not, Salina has garnished a reputation internally and externally as a difficult city to work with across a variety of functions.”
Schrage was lauded in the letter “for being a much better collaborator than his predecessors. Under his tenure Salina has made excellent strides, but we still have a long way to go.”
But the correspondence was not embraced by all, according to Commissioner Bill Longbine.
“I was a little surprised with some of the names on that letter, and by the tone. I’d like to ask each of those people what it is they exactly want to change if they’re so concerned with the direction Salina is going,” he said by phone Thursday morning.
Vice Mayor Mike Hoppock said he read the letter once.
“We have the First Amendment. Everybody has the right to let us know how they feel. So be it,” he said in a Thursday phone interview. He referred to discussions at the Monday regular commissioner meeting.
“I told them I have a blank slate and we’ll look to hire the best (city manager) candidate possible,” Hoppock said. See more in a sidebar.
Commissioner Jerry Ivey confirmed reading the letter in a Thursday phone interview and added “I always appreciate opinions from the business community. I always like to listen to what they have to say.”
Commissioner Dr. Trent Davis said, "For me, forming an opinion is often a very fluid process that does not take a straight line course. Monday I expressed where I was at that time. I don't see a practical side to reconsidering it until our next discussion on the topic."
Mayor Greg Lenkiewicz said Thursday afternoon he had yet to read the letter regarding the city manager, but he submitted a prepared statement to Salina311, “My personal take on it: if we're going to expend the time and resources to go through the process, we owe it to ourselves and all Salina citizens to seriously consider all applicants in an equitable manner.”
The entire letter, and the list of its supporters, is included in this report.
Some who signed it agreed to elaborate why they believed such correspondence was necessary.
Travis Young, CEO of the Salina Vortex Corporation, said he co-authored the letter.
“I hope they open up the position to any internal and outside candidate and basically find some leadership in there that maybe brings a fresh perspective. That’s what we’re hoping for as a group,” he said Wednesday. “It’s definitely not a knock on the current city manager or anybody internally who might apply. We will hopefully look at all of our options.”
Others were more specific.
“We have got to change our building department. People don’t want to build in Salina because of what they have to put up with,” said Tom Pestinger, a retired businessman who is board president of The Garage, an automotive museum in downtown Salina.
“I’m just hoping the city will do a thorough search and maybe consider searching outside of the building,” said Leslie Bishop, executive director of Salina Downtown Inc.
City officials have been accused of being heavy-handed over the years, Pestinger said.
“When you hire an architect and engineer, they should be responsible for everything that goes on,” he said. “They don’t need the city to micromanage the project.”
A trend has continued, Pestinger said, since Dennis Kissinger’s tenure as city manager from 1988 to 2005. Jason Gage first interned for Kissinger, left to be city manager at DeSoto, MO, and later returned to serve as assistant city manager. He left to be city manager in Stillwater, OK, and returned again to fill the city manager post in Salina from 2005 until 2018 when Schrage stepped in. He was elevated from deputy city manager after a national search.
The search process has always been the same, Schrage said.
Generally, Pestinger said, the city was hinged to similar rigid policies under previous leadership.
The current system has held Salina back, said Jim Maes, a retired Salina developer. Some who have built here “have complained that Salina is almost too tough on their regulations, and the interpretation of their regulations,” he said, and “those regulations, are not common sense.”
Deputy City Manager Jacob Wood will take over as interim city manager Feb. 7, and Schrage starts Feb. 11 as city manager in Warrensburg, MO.
While previous Salina city administrations held to the same policies that are considered rigid by some, according to the letter, Schrage and his crew snared praise from some who signed the letter.
• “I get along with Mike. He’s a good friend,” Pestinger said.
• “I like Mike personally. I think he’s done a good job. Salina 2020 has enjoyed working with him,” said Trace Walker, CEO at Blue Beacon. Salina 2020 is an organization that was instrumental in the downtown Salina redevelopment project.
• Mike Berkley, longtime banker and board member of Bennington State Bank, said he wasn’t active in drafting the letter, but agreed to sign it.
“The last five years has been great for Salina, in terms of all the growth downtown, new businesses and that type of thing,” he said. “We’re on a roll. I think it’s a positive deal. I’m hoping the city takes a national-type search to replace the city manager and see what’s out there for possible changes, rather than whoever’s next in line. They probably should broaden their horizons, take a look at what’s out there, and then make their decision.”
Asked if local citizens should be included in the hiring process, Pestinger replied, “I think the city just needs to listen to the construction world and find someone who is willing to make it not such a fight. I love Salina. I will never live in another place, but if we can fix something, now is the time to do it.”
One way, he said, is to bring in a replacement from a different learning tree.
“We’ve been fighting the same problem. We keep hiring the assistant manager. They were all trained under (Kissinger) and Jason Gage, and nothing’s changing,” Pestinger said.
He added that the popular trend among elected officials is to simply hire who’s the most readily available.
“I talked to a couple city commissioners. They will say it’s easier to hire the assistant city manager,” he said. “That’s not gonna work because nothing’s gonna change. We just want contractors who want to build in Salina instead of fighting to build in Salina.”
Gage’s most recent stint as city manager was in Springfield, MO, population 170,000. He said the systems for community development are not all that different.
“Practically every community adopts the same or similar codes, and applies those codes to the development process,” Gage said. “The goal is to provide safety and protect the public, and balances that by being objective, fair and efficient in the application of the process. At the same time, it is important to recognize the risk that a development and business owner takes every time they choose to invest in a community. It’s a balancing act in every community.”
He was “not surprised” by the letter or the comments from Salinans.
“Every community is struggling to grow at a certain pace,” Gage said. “Salina is a terrific town and better than it’s ever been. When you talk to people who’ve taken time to get off the Interstate, they recognize that. The downtown is like no other. When you come to Salina, you can’t help but be impressed.”
Pestinger is hoping for improvement. “I want to make Salina a better place to live. That’s it,” he said. “It’s just time to find new blood.”
SIDEBARS
Elected official responds to media request
When asked for comment Thursday on the letter from Salina citizens regarding the search for a new Salina city manager, Vice Mayor Mike Hoppock told freelance reporter Tim Unruh that he should review the tape of Monday’s city commission meeting.
Unruh replied that the Salina311 report from the meeting would suffice.
“You’re not doing your job,” Hoppock replied. “It’s derelict of you and I think you need to hold yourself accountable.”
Letter to Salina City Commissioners
Date: January 15th, 2025
Subject: Selection of a New City Manager
Dear City Commissioners,
We, as members of Salina’s business and non-profit community, write to express our sentiments regarding the search for our new City Manager. Over the years, our city has adhered to a tradition of internal promotions which, while providing a sense of continuity, has not facilitated fresh perspectives and new ideas that could benefit our community.
Historically, whether anybody likes it or not, Salina has garnished a reputation internally and externally as a difficult city to work with across a variety of functions. Many of us commend Mike Schrage for being a much better collaborator than his predecessors. Under his tenure, Salina has made excellent strides, but we still have a long way to go.
As stakeholders heavily invested in the prosperity of Salina—through contributions to infrastructure, tax revenue, job creation, events, and tourism—we feel a need for a transformative approach in city management. We must continue to remove the barriers that prevent further investment and diversity of our economic landscape.
We hope that all final candidates, whether internal or external, will have a proven track record of innovation, dynamic leadership, and calculated risk taking in similar-sized communities, with fresh perspectives and concrete ideas for enhancing our community’s progress on real estate development and workforce expansion. These are crucial areas that require a revitalized focus tomake Salina a more thriving, vibrant community.
We believe the next City Manager will play a major role in Salina achieving its true potential as a forward-thinking, efficiently managed, and economically diverse city. This is a pivotal moment for our community, and we trust that you will appoint a candidate that best reflects the needs of its current residents but also the aspirations of future generations.
Thank you for considering our viewpoint. We are committed to supporting a smooth transition and ensuring the continued prosperity of Salina.
Sincerely,
Travis Young, Salina Vortex Corporation
Trace Walker, Blue Beacon, Inc
Guy Walker, Blue Beacon, Inc
Rob Exile, Exline, Inc
Darren Gragg, Bennington State Bank
Monte White, Repco
Larry Britegam, Equity Bank
Dan Stutterheim, Kasa Companies
Sam Browning, Helio Next Companies
Tony Dong, Martinelli’s Little Italy
Michelle Peck, The Garage
Jamie Hall, Great Plains Manufacturing
Lee Young, Salina Vortex Corporation
Jason Gillig, Hutton
Tom Dill, EDO Board Member
Dahx Marrs, Kansas Banking Technologies
Jason Ingermanson, JRI Hospitality
Daran Neuschafer, American Family Insurance
Mike Berkley, Bennington State Bank
Leslie Bishop, Salina Downtown, Inc
Jeff Maes, ComPro Reality
Tom Pestinger, The Garage
Ryan Van Zant, Rolling Hills Zoo
Jane Gates, Stiefel Theatre for Performing Arts
Joel Phelps, Salina Regional Health Center
Roy Applequist, Appelquist Manufacturing, Inc
David Disberger, Great Plains Manufacturing
Linda Salem, Great Plains Manufacturing
Jason Bergkamp, Bergkamp, Inc
Scott Bergkamp, Bergkamp, Inc
Jim Maes, ComPro Reality
Brandon Ebert, Be Wealth
