Consultant urges Grand Rapids commission to build trust, set shared expectations

A consultant who has worked with multiple municipal governments told Grand Rapids City elected officials on Thursday that improving working relationships across the dais and with staff is the quickest way to get more done.

Nate Guinzer, CEO of Double Haul Solutions, told the group that cohesion among commissioners and staff hinges on four behaviors: trust, healthy conflict, commitment to decisions, and accountability. "Without trust at this table, you're gonna — you're not gonna be able to have as much success as possible," Guinzer said.

The remarks came during a facilitated session that the city manager described as a professional-development workshop for the newly seated commission. City Manager Mark (city manager) opened the session by saying the meeting was intended as an opportunity for dialogue rather than voting, and to align the new commission around priorities for the remainder of fiscal 2025 and the FY26 budget cycle.

Guinzer outlined common pitfalls that he has observed in council–manager governments, and offered practical steps commissioners and the manager can take to reduce friction. He advised elected officials to give staff "the benefit of the doubt," to surface concerns early rather than waiting for annual reviews, and to identify communication preferences (text, call, sit-down) so staff can support individual commissioners effectively.

On handling disagreement, Guinzer said conflict should be constructive: "We want conflict. Now we don't want conflict in the negative sense ... We're talking about constructive dialogue around policy decisions." After a decision is reached by the commission, he added, the manager and staff should implement it: "Mark works for the commission. He doesn't work for commissioners. He works for the commission. So when a policy is approved by the commission, Mark's duty and the staff's duty is to implement that policy."

Guinzer recommended routine, specific accountability practices — for example, regular progress reports on priorities and early phone calls when concerns arise — so that adjustments can happen sooner.

Commissioners and staff used the discussion to name priorities and common challenges: aligning community expectations with limited city resources, preventing frequent “squirrel” distractions from derailing long-term work, and building consistent engagement practices so neighborhoods know when and how to participate.

The session concluded with participants describing the benefits of a shared expectations exercise and an agreement to continue the conversation inside committee work and the upcoming budget process.

The workshop included public work-planning elements and did not produce formal votes or policy changes; staff and commissioners said they will use the discussion to update work plans and reporting formats.