The Book is Out on Manistee City Manager Candidate Kevin Bookout

[XLFD]

On August 11, 2015 a series of interviews were extended to candidates vying for the Manistee City manager job, made necessary by the firing earlier this year of longstanding city manager, Mitch Diesch.  At the end of the meeting the council approved making a conditional offer of employment to Patrick Jordan.  Jordan subsequently was notified that he had been approved at another city manager position, which led to the Manistee City Council to depend on their second choice.  As noted in the link, six of seven councilors chose former Ellisville, Missouri  City Manager Kevin Bookout to become Manistee's top dog. 

As the conditional offer of employment gets considered by the candidate and the Michigan Municipal League's supplemental background checks are done on Mr. Bookout, much information is available regarding the chaotic conditions he left behind at his old job, and the questions it brings up on his character.

Kevin Bookout was the city manager for Ellisville about six years, working diligently, especially on economic development issues when thing started going bad.  The problem arose when the locals decided the economic development he was considering was not in their best interests.  Elected officials who tried to respect this sentiment were in the minority, the Mayor of Ellisville even got impeached for a few months.  Here is what is verifiable. 

In this link by the Mises Inst. Ellisville was praised after Ellisville city leaders negated a project pushed through by Kevin Bookout.  It relates:  "For years, city officials have been planning to lure Wal-Mart to Ellisville, about a half-hour away from St. Louis. Their most recent plan involved building a 150,000-square-foot Supercenter, which would have cost $50 million. A private developer could have received up to $15 million in tax incentives. Even more outrageously, Ellisville could have also authorized eminent domain to acquire property."

Mayor Adam Paul led an effort to thwart this unpopular move, but Bookout and a council which had the votes to secure the deal, moved to impeach Paul for his efforts before new city councilors sympathetic to the will of the people came in.  With Paul's impeachment, and the loss of his vote, the Bookout group paved the way for Wal-Mart to come to Ellisville, but Wal-Mart effectively withdrew after Paul was reinstated and the new council pushed back and ousted the city attorney and manager.  Here's a brief review of what happened. 

In this Riverfront Times March 2013 article, it explains the nature of the articles of impeachment of the elected mayor, drawn up by the city attorney and assisted in many places by Ellisville's City Manager Bookout.  General swearing and drinking are usually not impeachable offenses, but Bookout witnessed such and used them against Mayor Paul in those proceedings (the full articles of impeachment here )

At another July date that summer, City Manager Bookout noticed in sitting next to the mayor, that Paul brought an energy drink and a thermos to the meeting where he proceeded to pour the energy drink into the thermos and drink from it.  Paul took a polygraph test, said he did not drink on the job in either situation -- and passed, [Paul's personal attorney] Pleban says.

"That allegation goes back to the summer of 2012. I can't imagine for the life of me, if somebody is drinking alcohol in the summer of 2012, why it would be coming out now almost a year later other than the purpose of running him out of office," he adds.  Paul has stated the only thing in the Thermos was ice for his energy drink.

          Kevin Bookout interviewing for the Manistee City Manager position drinking an unidentified clear liquid resembling vodka

By April of 2013, impeached Mayor Adam Paul filed a lawsuit vs. Kevin Bookout and several other Ellisville officials claiming defamation, tortious interference with business expectancy, prima facie tort, and civil conspiracy.  The letters of the city attorney in the exhibits, tends to support the charges. 

On May 1, 2013, a new council with a plurality of members that supported Paul put a reconsideration of the Mayor's impeachment on the agenda, which was taken off it by City Manager Bookout.  He said he had concerns about placing the measure up for discussion, so he consulted with attorney John Maupin. Maupin – who was brought on by the city while the impeachment saga unfolded – said, among other things, that the motion ran afoul of Robert’s Rules of Order.  Kevin Bookout was caught in the crossfire of an attorney and a citizen:

Chet Pleban (Paul's lawyer) said:  “So you unilaterally make a decision to circumvent what a councilperson wants to put on their agenda? You make that call? And Maupin makes the call?  He doesn’t consult his client before that call is made? Are you kidding me?”

“No I’m not kidding you. I called and asked for his legal opinion,” Bookout said. “And had that legal opinion been that it’s absolutely appropriate, it would have been on it.”

Once the council voted to remove Bookout with cause (one that has not been stated as it is a personnel issue) on September 11, 2013, the City of Ellisville stepped into another Bookout-inspired scandal.  Local media outlet KMOX requested several E-mails of Bookout's before the suspension, and ironically these public records mysteriously disappeared shortly after the suspension and before the FOIA request was satisfied, in fact they were told these E-mails did not exist. 

Later investigations confirmed that someone had purposefully deleted these files, someone who came to city hall after September 11 and used Kevin Bookout's login to do the deed.  The building did not have security cameras and has since conducted an audit, whose results are not available at this time.  Bookout has claimed that several other people had access to his E-mails, but that again would indicate a lack of judgment, and lack of accountability, since this issue was never resolved.  One can only imagine the revelations those files may have contained.

And even after the Hilary Clintonesque scandal where someone wiped out much of Kevin Bookout's E-mails shortly after he was terminated, Bookout was the gift that kept on giving headaches to a recuperating Ellisville.  Bookout and his friends of the old council met in closed session shortly after getting rid of Mayor Paul and made a back room deal with a car dealership in order to relocate city hall. 

According to this article, and the comments by Mayor Paul, then City Manager Kevin Bookout announced in May of 2013 that the city had entered into a tentative $3.2 million contract on the building. According to Bookout the contract for the building was contingent on the Council voting to appropriate and sell the bonds. On May 15, 2013, the city council authorized a legal underwriter to make preparations for the issuance, sale and delivery of special obligation bonds valued at $5.5 million. Those bonds were to be used for the acquisition and improvement of the proposed new city hall.

Public opinion later prompted the reinstated mayor and a 'new' council to hold three town hall meetings, where the merits of purchasing a new city hall were discussed.  They voted down legislation to conduct a feasibility study that would have evaluated the merits of the  property, as well as the current city hall.  They have sworn in the court battle that followed that they were not aware of any terms of that torturous contract made just before they were in office until notified its terms had been breached.  When the deal with the city fell through, another purchaser came around and brought the property for $900,000 less than the city's offer.  The suit the dealership filed for breach of contract cost the city just a little more than that difference in their settlement. 

For a year and a half, Kevin Bookout dropped out of the public eye and employment.  According to the Manistee News Advocate, he became a vice-president of Interim Solutions LLC , a St. Louis firm that finds interim executives for corporations/governing bodies, but there seems to be nothing linking him to that organization, which is not based in St. Louis (though it has a satellite office there). 

He finally reappears in Michigan's northwest in Bookout's April 2015 application for Traverse City CM position.  He notes his departure from Ellisville as the following, without any attempt at explaining the 18 month span of unemployment even when he is supposedly serving as a veep at a company that supplies interim executives:

Candidate Bookout had a moral obligation to inform them that he was fired with "cause", furthermore, there doesn't seem to be much in the record showing him as being receptive to what the community or the "newly elected officials" desired-- in fact, one of the councilors noted Bookout repeatedly would not respond to his attempts at reaching him . 

Bookout then did an interview with the City of Manistee on August 11, after being rejected by Traverse City, an interview which was published by Manistee TV the next day:

A few things of note:  Bookout (13:40) describes his best traits as being:  "fair, supportive honest, forthright, ...those that I have worked closely with would only have good things to say about me."  At the (5:00) mark he explains why he was terminated, mentioning primarily the secretive deal he forged with the car dealership which cost the city one million dollars because of the lack of communications he earlier stresses as being a key part of his successful managing style.

At the 20:30 mark we find out more of what may have made him lose his job.  Here we discover that part of his problem dealt with being too open with the records; a quite stunning revelation after the deletion of his E-mail records and his inability to tell the new members about the land deal with the car dealership.  He does this before telling us for the second time that he would not have done anything differently in his Ellisville job. 

The hour-long interview does not have any questions to Bookout concerning the specific problems identified above-- nothing about missing E-mails, inter-Ellisville intrigue between him and the mayor/council, the lawsuits his actions and inactions launched.  But this is immaterial to the Manistee City Council, for they have expressed their interest in hiring him despite all this baggage which is readily available for those who do an internet search.

There is still time for the Manistee leaders to reconsider their offer, but pride often gets in the way of common sense after they have made a decision like this.  Councilor Smith who was the only one who voted for a less experienced but more flamboyant candidate has made a wise choice in voting against Bookout.  To the others, they know much of the record and still consider Bookout as acceptable and competent to run Manistee.  One must ask why they seek a city manager with such traits.

[Willy]

We might ask the same question of Ludington's City Council regarding Mr. Shay's employment. I think the difference between Elllisville/Bookout and Ludington/Shay is that all of Ludington's Councilors are in cahoots with their Manager. Can anyone imagine Mayor Cox challenging any of the shenanigans that are taking place at City Hall. Well done X, very informative.

[Judy Carl]

Your last sentence says it all... "One must ask why they seek a city manager with such traits."  Thank you for your investigation into Bookout's past, and for heating up the issue about the lack of concern by many on the Manistee City Council. Hopefully, Manistee's next two Council elections in November 2015 and 2016 will result in new members and the immediate appointment of a Mayor who cares about the welfare of the city and residents... 

[XLFD]

Good luck at those elections, Judy.  We here in Ludington are a bit behind the curve that Manistee and Scottville are at, which is in a transitional period where the past election cycle put in a couple of councilors aware of whom they represent and what the government's role is.  We currently have seven councilors in Ludington who have shown unaccountability and recklessness in the direction they're going, and a city manager who has those bad traits and more. 

Barring recall elections, we have to wait until November 2016, when five of the seven council seats come up for election.  I sense that many good folks in the community are getting upset enough to run and vote for those willing to rein in our power-hungry, corrupt, and tone-deaf local legislature. 

Hopefully, for Manistee, Bookout will not be hired, for he will have conflicts with Commissioner Smith and others trying to run things sensibly, which will likely be a majority of the future council.

[AQUAMAN]

I second that good luck wish to both Judy and Manistee. Did this man say at the beginning he worked or was from Fenton, Mi.? If so, he's another down-stater from Detroit. I always have to ask two questions when I see this type of scenario: 1) why would any West Michigan municipality seek a down-stater for any top position in their city government? Do we not have many qualified individuals here without looking outside for help? I see locals in a better position to be on the same page with other local councilmen, and also not having to adjust their family and attitudes from large to small community. 2) Why can't these down-stater types adjust and do well in their own backyards? Certainly, the pay is less, and the opportunities slimmer here in W. Mich.. That's another red flag for me in this hiring process. Now for Bookout: well, he comes off to me as very slick, determined, and rehearsed in his delivery to the council. I also noticed the council overlapped in a lot of their interview. This wastes time and money, not to mention drawing out what should be a simpler and shorter process, into a 1-1/2 hr. interrogation. The interview to me at least, should be about 1/2 the time or so, and concentrate on the interviewing parties loyalty to our area, and to his convictions. I did like the fact that Bookout said he wanted to become interactive with community citizens and business leaders for his first 3-6 months in office. To me at least, it shows he wants to meet with locals and find out their desires and needs. I DON'T remember that being the case with John Shay at all. He has been pretty insulated and NOT involved with many in this community, beyond the city officials and staff he oversees. Lastly, it would appears that since Traverse City did not hire Bookout, that he's kinda bouncing around to other W. Mich. towns to gain employment. He is not choosing Manistee over all others, just another stepping stone in the puzzle of whom will hire him next. That also is another red flag for me to not hire this man. Otherwise, he's probably a capable mgr., just not the one I would choose for our area. 

[XLFD]

Earlier today, the Facebook entity known as Real Manistee reported that Kevin Bookout has withdrew his application for Manistee City Manager due to 'personal reasons'.

Further contacts with Ellisville individuals by this reporter today confirmed and strengthened the case against Kevin Bookout and this article's accuracy on the facts reported in this article.  Here's hoping that Mr. Bookout can find an occupation more in line with his character and skills.  Congratulations should be given to Real Manistee for their own exposures of the truth about this candidate, and being a muse for my investigations which culminated in this article.

[shinblind]

Hey Manisteeians. If you are looking for a new city manager we have one. Take John Shay. Please!!!

[XLFD]

It would definitely be a smooth transition for Shay, being that Manistee has the same city attorneys that we have who have already written much of the onerous laws that we've been seeing over the last few years filtering into Ludington.  But in Ludington, John Shay may be universally distrusted and despised by the vast majority of the population at large, and has often broke the law without repercussion, but he has the unfailing support of the seven people who can fire him on the city council who are receptive enough to give him a pass on everything. 

[AQUAMAN]

Shinblind, I second that motion! Can we have a vote on the motion please Mayor X? Well, all I can say is that his background check must have some snags in it. If he was also checked out by the MMA, maybe they have some interesting facts to report too. Either way, he's out, and Manistee's council and Mayor wasted a lot of time and effort for nothing. Now what's next? I may be old fashioned in some respects, but, I believe in promotions from within. Someone in that Manistee city hall has the background and experience to do the job, I am convinced of that. Perhaps they don't have the particular credentials and fancy degree on the wall to get hired, but, they could if given that chance. Why would anyone continue to work for an employer or municipality if they thought their job was a dead end? If municipalities gave their own staff members the opportunity for real advancement, they might all be better off in the end. 

[XLFD]

I like Manistee enough not to inflict John Shay on them.

In chatting with some of the people from Ellisville, Missouri, they were somewhat surprised by the inclusion of Bookout in the Michigan Municipal League (MML) selection process with what he had done to their city, all of which are very much on record.  But then they weren't too surprised because outfits like the MML, which they have in Missouri, become clearinghouses for fired and resigned city managers whom they often pass along without considering their background. 

And why do they need to?  They have no vested interest in providing the best city manager for your city, their interest is getting rid of damaged gods goods they're saddled with. 

Shay was a present of Cosmopolitan Mayor John Henderson, who overlooked several qualified candidates among Ludington's employ:  Jackie Steckel (then assistant city manager for many years), Shawn McDonald (retired DPW Superintendent and two-time interim CM), Rob Allard (former WWTP supervisor, current Pentwater City Manager), and even then councilor Pete Engblade (who has a degree in city management) who would have liked the raise in status and salary.

All of the candidates back in 2003 were from far away, but included one who was the son of a former Ludington CM (Von Drak).  We picked Shay and after a couple of quiet years where he learned the ropes, he has been using those ropes to bind and hang us with his incompetent, unlawful, secretive, and/or unethical behavior.

[AQUAMAN]

Quite right X, Shyster Shay has become an expert in brainwashing our council members, eluding truth and justice in the LDN and courts, and putting a disguise on for the sleeping taxpayers. All the pertinent info. you have presented to the council, regarding fraud, perjury, unethical behavior, conspiracy to defraud grants, over-payment to city attorneys, trying to modify our city charter, introducing silly new ordinances, cancelling the lifeguards, all this and much more, all are swept under the rug, as he routinely continues in a vital role at city hall. It's almost as if this council is afraid of him, and no information on Shyster Shay is worthy of their time to listen or act on. I think it's more laziness and vanity that the council is affected by.