Longtime Lansing finance director resigns from City Hall

City Finance Director Angela Bennett quietly resigned from city government last week, marking the latest departure of department heads under Mayor Andy Schor.

“I resigned last week. I’ve had a number of circumstances that have changed in my life over the past several weeks, and I need some time to reevaluate my future,” she told City Pulse.

Schor said chief strategy officer Shelbi Frayer has been named interim finance director and city Treasurer Judy Kehler will be the acting controller.

“We are looking at the structure for finance and treasury and will see what restructuring needs to be done,” Schor said.

Said Bennett: “It has been an honor to have served the city these past 14 years, both in my current and former roles as budget manager and deputy finance director, through the challenges of state funding cuts in the Great Recession, massive budget and benefit restructuring, but also during the exciting growth and pride the city has and continued to experience, and I am excited for the mayor’s vision for the future.”

Two Council members, Kathie Dunbar and Peter Spadafore said they were kept in the dark about the reasons for Bennett’s departure. “It’s been very tight-lipped,” said Dunbar, who added she expected to be briefed on the matter in a closed session. Spadafore said, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Council President Carol Wood declined to comment and directed inquiries to the Mayor’s Office.

Bennett had served Lansing as its finance director since 2012 and had been with the city since the early days of the Virg Bernero administration, after coming to the capital city in 2005 from Kalamazoo, where she worked as comptroller. Her salary was set at $121,980 as finance director for 2019.

Almost half of Schor’s cabinet has changed since he took office in 2018. Bennett becomes the fifth department director to leave, all of whom were holdovers from the Bernero administration, including Police Chief Mike Yankowski, Fire Chief Randy Talifarro and Treasurer Tammy Good.