New City Manager sets Feb. 14 as Tentative Start Date

, said he has tentative plans to start his tenure on Feb. 14, pending a discussion on benefits. Bruner's last day as Ferndale city manager will be Feb. 11, exactly four years to the day he started that job.

Until then, Bruner's main priority is wrapping up matters in Ferndale.

"I want to focus my time and energy here," Bruner said. "This is my adopted home and I don't want to leave them hanging."

In terms of relocation, Bruner said he and his wife began looking at homes in Birmingham online Sunday night, "dreaming." The job offer provides for relocation funds, however Bruner said they're in no hurry to move right away.

"Obviously being so close, we can start working here and worry about the relocation later," Bruner said.

Bruner was chosen by the Birmingham City Commission to be the city's top executive Sunday afternoon, beating out two other candidates during a . Commissioners were in executive session making the decision for more than five hours Saturday and Sunday.

Besides Bruner, finalists for the position included , former city manager of Amherst, MA, and , former city manager of Clinton, IA. Besides the interview, candidates also made , where Bruner was the only candidate to address the question of sustainability in city government.

Bruner is replacing Tom Markus, who after spending 22 years as Birmingham's top executive.

In an interview with Ferndale Patch, Bruner said that what made the Birmingham position so attractive was its staibility. . Before Markus took over in 1989, Bob Kenning had been city manager in place since 1965.

Coming to Birmingham will mean a pay raise for Bruner as well. Bruner took a 5 percent pay decrease from Ferndale last year and is paid $98,000 a year. The Birmingham city manager position is listed as paying $110,000-$128,000 a year.

Coming to Birmingham won't be too much of a stretch. During an , Bruner said he lives within walking distance of Ferndale City Hall and enjoys walking to work. In his interview Saturday, Bruner said he's excited to become part of another walkable community where he can settle down with his wife and 3 1/2-year-old daughter Aubrey.

Before becoming Ferndale's city manager in 2007, Bruner was the assistant city manager in Ypsilanti from 2004-07.  From 2001-04, he was the assistant to the city manager in Oak Park, during which time he received his master's degree in public administration from Wayne State University.