Months after he resigned and stopped coming to work, Benton Harbor City Commissioners have accepted the resignation of former city Finance Director Andrew Clark. At a meeting on Monday, Commissioner Edward Isom said with Clark gone, the city has been operating without a finance director, and it’s time to start looking for a new one.
“We should have had one yesterday, and we need this,” Isom said. “It’s putting a strain on the city manager. He can’t do it all.”
Last month, commissioners rejected Clark’s resignation because they wanted to first investigate complaints he made in his resignation letter about how city income tax payments were being handled. Commissioner Mary Alice Adams said at Monday’s meeting she wants to investigate what Clark had alleged.
“Our ex-finance director’s letter of resignation, he left some very valuable things that I think need to be taken a grave look at in regards to our finances, and I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I didn’t read it when it said what it said.”
Several commissioners agree Clark should come and discuss his findings. However, in the end his resignation was accepted this week so a search could begin for a new finance director. Mayor Marcus Muhammad said the resolution included language to start that process.
