As required by the Howell City Charter, and for all ceremonial purposes, the Mayor is recognized as the executive head of the City. The Mayor has an equal voice and vote in the proceedings of the Council and presides over all City Council meetings. The Mayor also serves as a member of the Planning Commission and Downtown Development Authority Board. The term of office is two years.
Number of years as resident
37 years
Education
Bachelor of Science - Michigan State University
I joined the City Council in February 2021. I took on the role having no assumptions, no agenda, no expectations. I approached the opportunity like how I live life, seek to understand before being understood, listen to the professionals, do your best to help others. These are the principals of a servant leader.
My wife Brandy once described me as an anchor. A source of support and stability, a person or groups source of strength and assistance. An anchor is strong, unwavering, and keeps the group collective. Few words have meant so much to me. It is these qualifications that I will bring to the City of Howell as its anchor.
The past few years have been a period of highlights and opportunities for the city. Whether it’s being voted top five “Best Main Street” two years in a row by USA Today, the soon to be completed Howell Depot/Fire and Ice District, or the developments that are in the pipeline, Howell has a bright future. My motivation to become Mayor comes from the desire to support our residents, our businesses owners, our amazing City Staff, and the City Council bring these projects to completion and prepare the City for the future. As Mayor Pro Tem Schlittler reminds us, it is our job to leave this place better than we found it. I intend on doing this.
Ensuring Howell residents are informed and included in the decision making process is extremely important. One approach to accomplish this is to establish a positive, respectful, working relationship with our local media. This can be done through our public relations firm, our Public Information Officer Kym Lockhart, or by me responding to inquiries. Providing one source for factual information related to our city is critical in assisting the community in becoming part of the process and understanding the workings of local government.
I also find value in personal interactions with people and plan on having weekly office hours at City Hall.
The City of Howell faces many of the same challenges as other municipalities. As the Mayor I will leverage the relationships that I have established over the past four years with our neighboring townships, county/state leadership, regional organizations (SEMCOG), and federal representatives to identify future challenges and opportunities. As a state employee, a member of various boards/commissions, a participant in multiple task forces, and someone who can’t say “no”, I consider myself well informed and lucky to know passionate people who are willing to help. I have done this as a council member, and I will continue to do it as the mayor.
