The Erie Town Council has selected Meredyth Muth, director of administrative services and operations, to serve as the interim town manager, effective immediately, following a divided decision to fire Malcolm Fleming from the position earlier this month.

“I care deeply about this community and am happy to step in and support our residents, staff, and Council while the recruitment for a full-time Town Manager is completed,” Muth said in a written statement Wednesday morning.

The town manager serves as the chief administrative officer for Erie, according to the town’s charter, which says the manager is to be appointed by a majority vote of the Town Council.

Erie Deputy Town Manager Melissa Wiley, who has served in the deputy role since 2021, was the acting town manager from Feb. 18, the day after Fleming’s contract was terminated, until Tuesday evening, where the council voted unanimously to appoint Muth. Erie has two deputy town managers, Wiley and Patrick Hammer.

The vote to put Muth in the interim role happened after the council had an executive session, a type of meeting that is closed to the public, for about an hour. Council members did not make any public comments about the appointment during Tuesday’s council meeting.

But the town provided a comment from Wiley on Wednesday morning that said: “After brief internal discussions, we provided Council with the suggestion that Meredyth would be a wonderful choice to act as Interim Town Manager.”

A job listing posted in late 2024 says Erie’s director of administrative services and operations role oversees municipal functions, including the town clerk’s office and municipal court, along with dealing with contract management. Muth joined Erie town staff last year after working for the city of Louisville, where she held multiple roles, including public relations manager, city clerk and interim deputy city manager, according to Muth’s hiring announcement on Erie’s website.

Muth will be doing the job of interim town manager and will still be the director of administrative services and operations, according to Gabi Rae, an Erie spokesperson.

“Both Deputy Town Managers were asked if they were interested in stepping in as Interim and they both passed on that opportunity,” Rae said. “So instead, they passed on a different suggestion for the Council to consider.”

In the Wednesday statement, Wiley said Muth “brings recent, hands-on transition experience from Louisville, where she stepped in as Interim Deputy City Manager during a similar period.”

“She already manages many of the functions and discussions that directly connect with Council and her steady leadership will help ensure stability while minimizing speculation and preconceived assumptions during this transition,” Wiley’s statement adds.

Search for new town manager

After Fleming’s termination, Erie Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Bell told the Daily Camera he expects the process to fill the town manager role more permanently could take six to nine months, as a “conservative estimate.”

It could be a “nationwide search,” Bell said.

The charter also says the Town Council may terminate the employment of a town manager by a majority vote “at any regular or special meeting called for that purpose and subject to the town manager’s employment agreement, if any.”

The decision to fire Fleming came after a Feb. 10 meeting when Erie Mayor Andrew Moore said he had “concluded that it is time for a change at the top,” and asked the council to consider dismissing Fleming from the role. (See more of the Camera’s coverage about Fleming’s firing at tinyurl.com/ErieTownManagerFire.)

The council was divided on the decision to fire Fleming, which stoked heated debate during its Feb. 10 and Feb. 17 meetings. Councilmembers Emily Baer, Dan Hoback and Anil Pesaramelli voted against Fleming’s termination, arguing the decision was unfounded. Moore, along with Bell and Councilmembers John Mortellaro and Brian O’Connor, voted in favor.

Bell said last week that he would like the next town manager to be “somebody that carries that ability to inspire staff and rally people in one direction,” adding: “One of the main qualities that I want to see going forward is someone that will really adhere to the budgets and have a realistic look at projects that we’re capable of doing without overburdening taxpayers.”

Speaking separately with the Camera, Baer said there “needs to be transparency” in the process of finding a new town manager.

“We really need to prioritize the voice of the community, because I feel like that hasn’t been prioritized through this whole process,” Baer said.