By Jeff Kenney Staff Writer
CULVER — Sean McDermott has worn a number of hats in his life — some by choice and some because life has thrown him into situations, as life so often does, which require him to adapt and learn.
Those varied experiences, he believes, will help him immensely in his work as Culver’s new town manager. And it happens that some of that experience is very analogous to the particular dynamics of Culver.
“I moved out to Fenton Township eight years ago,” recalls McDermott, who grew up in a suburban area northwest of Detroit. The Fenton, Michigan area includes a great deal of lakefront property. “Culver is very similar to where I’m coming from, but on a smaller scale. Fenton Township and the city have about 15,000 residents each.”

“There are similar problems (in the Fenton area) with sewer and water, with divisions of lake and town. There are also lots of fine restaurants. My background has already addressed many of the issues that are starting to surface in Culver.”
“That was a real draw for me, to be able to offer my experience as an aid to the community and to be able to offer my suggestions.”
McDermott is married to Patricia Fountain and has three step-sons, including two in Iraq, and five step-grandchildren. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Kalamazoo College with a triple major of political science, Spanish, and history. As part of his education, he did a memorable six-month foreign study in Bogota, Columbia. He also attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich. Two years ago, he returned to school to earn his Master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan in Flint.
In Fenton Township, Mich., McDermott and his wife found that the Fenton area had affordable lakefront property (“at the time,” he notes), and the locale was an hour from his previous location. “I had a business and was commuting an hour every day. My wife and I worked together.”
An hour commute made running his own business impossible, he says, so eventually the business closed down and he found himself semi-retired and looking for another career.
“I helped lead a referendum and then successful recall of several board members (in the Fenton area) regarding rezoning of proper
ty to a mobile home park that would back up to a residential area,” McDermott says. “Then I was elected as a township trustee to fill the balance of recalled individuals’ terms. That was 2003 to 2004.”
Then, in 2004, McDermott ran for county commissioner, losing in the primary elections. He won in the 2006 primary, but lost the general election. In January, 2006, he found himself debating: did he want local politics, or government work? “Some friends suggested that maybe I should look into the administrative side of government. I started the Master’s of Public Administration program… and graduated in August, 2006.”
So how did he find Culver, Indiana?
“I had originally designed a three-hour circular discovery pattern of where I was looking for a new city management career. I wanted something not too far away from home, so I could still be in contact with resources in Michigan. I don’t even know how I came across the advertising (for the town manager position in Culver). But, I went through the screening process, interviewed, and here I am.”
McDermott has only been in Culver just over a week as of this writing, so he’s still learning some specifics about the area. “Everything is conditioned on my limited experience here so far,” he notes, but he does have some thoughts on Culver’s present and future.
“I don’t think that the resources of the township are valued properly for the people coming into the town. Culver has value in its sewers, its streets, its parks. I’d like to see a valuation of our assets to properly determine what someone should be charged to access those resources, a system development fee that’s based on a valuation of the current resources. A system development fee is a way to equitably determine a fee to access a resource for new users and add additional capacity to the system. This fee, depending on additional growth, could buffer future rate increases. But state law requires rates to be reflective of the cost of operation and maintenance of the system, to maintain a high degree of mandated health and safety parameters.”
“I’d like to see some updating of the planning and zoning. The (Second Century Committee) charrette has achieved magnificent success; 90 percent of their goals have been met. But it’s time to take it to the next level. I hope the community would come together and develop plans for the next five to ten years out. I hope it’s a constantly moving target.”
What does McDermott see as Culver’s biggest benefits and challenges?
“The biggest pluses for Culver of course are the lake and I think the residents themselves. The amount of civic involvement in Culver, for this size town, is truly amazing. It’s very good to see so many familiar faces at so many groups and organizations. The involvement in various service groups (in Culver) transcends a number of factors. Other pluses are the business owners here, the dedicated employees and leadership of the town council, and of course the Academy.”