The Chelsea City Council voted Monday night to accept City Manager Elle Cole’s resignation. The resolution passed on a 5-2 vote, with council members George Merkel and Sam Angus voting against.
The resolution concludes the process started on Aug. 27, when the council voted unanimously to adopt a preliminary resolution to terminate Cole for cause. Under the city charter, that vote gave Cole the right to request a public hearing before the council could adopt a final resolution to complete the termination. Before the Sept. 14 meeting, Cole asked the council to accept her resignation instead.
After the regular portion of the council meeting on Monday, the council returned from a closed session to vote on Resolution 26-45, which council member Eric Keaton read into the record. The resolution allows Cole to resign without any pay or benefits, stating that the council’s position has not changed and that termination was appropriate, but that accepting the resignation was “an acceptable conclusion to this matter.”
“If the council votes to accept this resignation, the city cannot proceed further with the termination process,” Keaton said. “We can’t terminate someone who doesn’t work for us. That also includes the public hearing that could have occurred as part of that process. I understand that members of the public have questions, but the council must continue to respect the confidentiality of the closed session discussion and any applicable legal and personnel requirements.”
Merkel, who voted against the resolution, reminded the council that the original termination grounds included use of public funds for a non-public purpose, dishonesty, inappropriate workplace behavior, and violation of public trust. He said he believed the council should have continued with termination.
Mayor Kate Henson, who supported the resolution, said she did so “with a heavy heart.”
“She isn’t even here, and she’s continuing to erode the trust of council and staff and in our citizens, and it’s enraging,” Henson said. “So I will grudgingly vote yes on this.”
Council member Jacquelyn Bullerman said the outcome for the city is largely the same either way. “Whether we do it through resignation or through termination, the city’s going to be in the same place,” she said. “Moving forward is probably just the best choice, financially and otherwise, but I certainly am sympathetic to others on council who feel like this is letting somebody off the hook.”
Angus, who also voted against the resolution, called it a difficult decision. “The decision to let the city manager go, that was easy,” he said. “The decision of how to proceed is difficult. I supported termination from the beginning, and I support it now.”
The city manager role is now held by Marc Thompson on an interim basis. Thompson also filled the role in 2025. “It is an honor for me to be asked to come and work here again,” he told the council Monday.
