Five years after joining the City of Traverse City as the first new planner in over three decades – and three days after returning from extended family medical leave – City Planning Director Shawn Winter was fired from his position Wednesday. I’ve been gone for three months on family medical leave, and the first day that myself, the city manager, and the HR director were all in the office, I was terminated.” City Manager Benjamin Marentette sent an email Wednesday to city department heads – which was forwarded to employees and planning commissioners – addressing Winter’s departure. Marentette noted in his comments to The Ticker that the planning director “serves at the city manager’s pleasure, not the planning commission’s.” We’ve known since former Interim City Manager Nate Geinzer that we’ve had a retirement wave coming.