City Manager Tsuchiyama To Retire this Month

Battle Creek City Manager Ken Tsuchiyama announced today that he plans to step down and retire by the end of the month.  

According to an e-mail to staff, Tsuchiyama stated that he has been in talks for a separation agreement with Mayor Dave Walters over the last few days. A closed-door session on the matter was held following Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.

“The Mayor and I have agreed that the Commission and I differ in our views regarding the direction of the city and that it would be in the best interests of all for me to step down from my City Manager position,” said Tsuchiyama in the letter. The city is also without an assistant city manager, after Jim Ritsema’s hiring as Kalamazoo’s City Manager last November.   A press release on the City's website says two resolutions related to that decision will appear on the City Commission’s Feb. 18 regular meeting agenda for full commission votes —One will authorize a separation agreement between Tsuchiyama and the city. The second will name Community Services Director Susan Bedsole as interim city manager.