Volume 2, Issue 26 NOVEMBER 22, 2024 Raised: Lead this Legacy REFLECTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY Total $5,854 AT
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ATTENTION: We have an early deadline next week for The Oceana Echo and White Lake Mirror. We go to press Wednesday, Nov. 27.
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S MIRROR: A new way to travel at the library
New Hart City Council sworn in By Sharon Hallack
The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent HART - A new Hart City mayor and five city council members were sworn in at last Tuesday’s Hart City Council meeting, Nov. 12. A mayoral term is two years; while a council member’s term is four years. Outgoing council members after this past election include James Evans, Kris Trygstad and Mayor Vicki Platt. A partial term left open when Fred Rybarz vacated his position in 2022, had been filled by Justin Adams, up until this spring when he moved from the city. This is the same seat resident Jim Cunningham was appointed to fill in early summer. The first order of business was to accept the resignations of Cunningham and Amanda Klotz from their current positions. Following this, Klotz was sworn in as mayor and newly elected councilors Cunningham, Dean Hodges and Karen Thomson were sworn in. With Klotz’s and Cunningham’s resignations from their current terms, two council seats remained open. The two write-in candidates from November’s election, Andrew Mullen and Betty Root, were also present. Residents across Oceana County were greeted by a wintry morning Thursday, Nov. City Manager Rob Splane said the council 21 as the first snowfall of this season blanketed the area with a dazzling white. Above could appoint the write-in candidates as is a worm’s-eye view of the snow near Crystal Lake. • Brendan Samuels/Echo new council members or advertise for others
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if they wished to select from a wider field of candidates. However, after a few brief comments, the council agreed that given these individuals had volunteered to run and received votes from residents, they should be given a chance to serve. Both Mullen and Root were then sworn in and will fill out the aforementioned partial terms ending in November of 2026. Later in the meeting Cunningham was nominated as Mayor Pro-Tem. Cunningham expressed his gratitude for the confidence the council placed in him, however, he didn’t want to take the position from someone with more seniority. Given no opposition, he was voted in unanimously. Terms for current Council Member Catalina Burillo, newly-elected Mayor Klotz and newly appointed write-in candidates, Mullen and Root, will conclude in November of 2026. Terms for councilors Cunningham, Hodges and Thomson will conclude in November of 2028. With the new council seated, Splane asked each to provide him, along with their contact and training option preferences, five short-term goals, five long-term goals and five concerns. In the coming weeks, Splane will meet with each council member to discuss their goals and determine which committee assignments best suit their schedule and interest.
Shelby Village President Paul Inglis bids farewell
By Sharon Hallack The Oceana Echo Community Correspondent SHELBY - At the close of their Nov. 11 village council meeting, outgoing Shelby Village Council President Paul Inglis bid farewell, recalling some of the village’s accomplishments and thanking the many he had the opportunity to work with during his tenure. Inglis was elected in November of 2014 and served five two-year terms as village president. “It was never my intention to seek any public office after my retirement; however, after a great deal of thought and the desire to see the community that I was born and raised in grow and develop, I be-
came determined to do whatever I could….Some of the most important needs, from my perspective, were the complete makeover of Getty Park, redevelopment of the downtown business district, upgrades to the village’s infrastructure, additional safe and affordable housing, more effective blight control in our neighborhoods and improved employee morale,” Inglis said.
Over the course of his 10 years as village president, Inglis played an instrumental role in leading the council through eight different village administrator transitions, including: Aaron Desentz, Chelsea Deal, Bryan Mazade (Interim), Robert Widigan, Bill Cousins (interim), Brady Selner, Jae Guetschow (interim) and the current Village Administrator Phil Morse. During that time he also had the privilege of serving with these fellow council members: Steve Crothers (current member), Bill Glover, Bill Harris, Mary Lulich, Ben Michalko, Damien Omness (outgoing member), Sharita Prowant, John Sutton (current member), Mike Termer (current member), Curt Trott (cur-
rent member), Jim Wyns and Dan Zaverl (current member). “Much progress has been made, but not by just one person or group; rather, it has been a genuine collective effort of the village council and committee members, past and present, village administrators, department heads, administrative staff, the DPW, and police department personnel, engineers, consultants, business and civic leaders, the Community Foundation, Shelby Public Schools and Shelby Township,” Inglis said. “I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of the Village of Shelby, who truly deserve to live, work and play in a safe and friendly small-town
environment. I am hopeful that I did not disappoint them. I urge every council member, Village Administrator Phil Morse, each department head, and village employee to continue to follow my personal motto in work and in life: ‘If you are unable to demonstrate reliability, responsibility and accountability, then you become a liability.’ Always remain committed to and focused on what your obligations to the residents of our Village are. Create high but realistic expectations for the Village of Shelby and strive hard to achieve them,” Inglis concluded. Council member Sutton was voted in as the new village president at the Nov. 5 general election.