Ferndale Council Members Sworn In
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 13, 2020)
Ferndale, MI – After a six month break from City Council, Melanie Piana returned Monday evening to hold the gavel as Mayor. Because of the City Charter, she had to resign from her council seat in order to run.
Piana was sworn in along with three Council Members – newcomers Laura Mikulski and Kat Bruner James, plus incumbent Raylon Leaks-May. Their arrival on Council marks the first time Ferndale has had a majority female council. The fifth seat continues to be held by Greg Pawlica, whose seat is up at the end of 2021, along with Mikulski’s.
Piana is “looking forward to working with the city.” She said, “We will go forth and be productive together.”
Mikulski said there are those in the audience she recognized, including several candidates who did not have enough votes to be elected. “I wanted to thank you for coming out and continuing to be involved after the election,” she said.
Family members of the officials packed City Hall to see their loved ones sworn in, including Piana’s 98 year old grandmother, and Mikulski’s tiny daughter, born the day before the election.
Among the tasks tackled at the first meeting of the new council was appointing most recent Mayor Dan Martin to the Ferndale Housing Commission.
The new council also greeted newly hired police officers, celebrated Holiday Light Award winners, and a gift from Robertson Brothers to the Community Foundation, and hearing reports from Ferndale Community Concert Band and the Sustainability Department.
And they went through the process of appointing members to serve on the various boards and commissions.
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