ROCKFORD, Mich. – The elections may be over, but communities across Michigan are still making the transition to get the newly appointed people in place.
That includes Rockford, a city that’s continuing to recover from the sudden and unexpected loss of their beloved city manager earlier this year.
It was a packed house at City Hall Monday night to witness 3 new members being sworn into the Rockford City Council.
One of those members is the wife of the late Michael Young, the city manager who died from a stroke at the age of 48 back in January.
She’s hoping to carry on her husband’s work, and serve the community with the same passion he did.
“Just someone who wants to give their life to the city of Rockford as he did,” says Melissa Young. “I really hope to give back to this community, because this community and I am here to serve the whole of the city, just as he did.”
The Rockford city clerk swore in the newly elected city council members, who will all serve 4-year terms.
“It’s really an honor to represent our city,” says Terry Konkle, a newly elected Rockford City council member. “ I’ve lived here since 1960. It’s a privilege for me to be able to represent our people here at the council.”
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I look forward to being able to give back to the community that’s given so much to our family,” says Cheryl Scales, new city council member and Mayor pro-tem. “Looking forward to working with our new council and moving Rockford forward in the right direction.”
Steve Jazwiec was selected by the council to serve a 2-year term as mayor.
He says it should take about 6 months to choose a new city manager. The public safety chief has been serving as interim since February.
Those who spoke at public comment had plenty of praise for the newly elected council members, and called for unity for moving forward.
