The City of Eaton Rapids has a Council that is made up of five individuals. The Council shall constitute the legislative and governing body of the City and shall have powers and authority, except as otherwise provided in the Charter or Statute, to exercise all powers conferred upon or possessed by the City, and shall have the power and authority to adopt such laws, ordinances, and resolutions as it shall deem proper in the exercise thereof.
Mayor and Council are four year terms of Office. All elections take place in odd number years, with the Mayor and Council-at-Large being done in the same election year, and the Precinct Delegates in the alternate year. The Term of Office begins on the first day of January following the election.
The Mayor Pro-Tempore is appointed by Council upon the recommendation of the Mayor. The Mayor Pro-Tempore shall succeed to the office of Mayor when a vacancy occurs in that office and shall have and exercise the powers and duties of the Mayor when the Mayor is absent or unable to perform the duties of that office. The Mayor Pro-Tempore may resign from that office without resigning from the Council. If both the Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tempore are absent the Council shall appoint one of its members to act.
The Council shall meet and organize at the first regular meeting in January following each regular City election. At such meeting, or within one week thereafter, the Council shall elect a Mayor Pro-Tempore and do such other acts as may be required for its organization and the conduct of its business.
The Council shall meet in the established Council Chamber, and shall hold at least two regular meetings in each month. Three members of the Council shall be a quorum for the transaction of business.
Mayor
Mayor Paul Malewski
pmalewski@cityofeatonrapids.com
Paul Malewski and was elected in November of 2017 to the office of Mayor.
He lives Eaton Rapids with his wife Deborah (Jean Kline Senior Center Director) and Barney the wonder dog. They have a daughter, Andrea, who lives in Lansing with her husband Adam.
Paul came to Eaton Rapids in the fall of 1981 as a member of the newly formed Eaton Rapids Police Department.
Paul currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Siren/Eaton Shelter, the Eaton Rapids Medical Center Foundation and the Eaton Rapids Community Alliance. He is the President of the Eaton Rapids Rotary Club. He is also on the advisory panel for the Families Against Narcotics (Eaton County chapter), the Eaton Rapids Health Alliance and the Eaton Rapids Public Schools Aquatics Education program.
Paul teaches both adaptive and recreational river kayaking to veterans and students in our community as well as providing adaptive services to people that have varying levels of physical limitations. He owns an Indian Motorcycle and is an avid fisherman and bicyclist.
Paul’s greatest joy is having the opportunity to serve those around me. He has dedicated over 35 years of his life to public service and hopes to give Eaton Rapids 35 more.
Our desire is to offer large city amenities in a small town setting. We strive to provide a high level of service in a timely and professional fashion. We encourage you to help us make Eaton Rapids a great place to live, work, recreate and raise your family.
Precinct 1
Councilwoman Suzanne Politza
spolitza@cityofeatonrapids.com
Precinct 1 is the South side of the City.
I grew up in Eaton Rapids and graduated from ERHS. I have not lived here all my life. I married and moved to Fayetteville, NC, home of Pope Air Force Base adjacent to Ft. Bragg and the 82nd Airborne. I am proud that I was a military spouse.
My husband retired from the Air Force after 25 years of service. We then moved to Waco, TX. While living there, I was employed by McLennan Community College and earned my Associates Degree in Applied Science General Business.
We moved to Michigan in 2005. I was employed by the State of Michigan, MSHDA. I had been previously employed by the State of Michigan as an Assistance Payment Worker for the Department of Social Services. I retired from the State of Michigan in 2013. My husband died in 2015 due to “Agent Orange” exposure in Vietnam.
I am a member of many groups; Capital City Corvette Club, Eaton Rapids High School Alumni Committee, Advisory Board for the JBK Senior Center in Eaton Rapids.
This is my first experience as a member of a governing entity. My life experiences have taught me many things, and I hope these experiences will assist me in my decision making as a member of the City Council.
Precinct 2
Councilwoman Pam Colestock
Mayor Pro-Tem
pcolestock@cityofeatonrapids.com
Precinct 2 is the Northwest side of the City.
Pam Colestock has been a life long resident of the City of Eaton Rapids. Pam worked for 20 years for Felpausch Food Center, which is currently known as Family Fare. The past 12 years she has worked in the property management industry. Pam currently works for the Real Estate Developer the Gillespie Group in Lansing, where she was recently promoted to the Project Management Assistant.
Pam has two Business Degrees, one from Davenport University in Sales and Marketing and the other in Paralegal Studies from Baker College.
Pam like to spend time going to movies, concerts and being with family and friends
Precinct 3
Councilman William Steele
Precinct 3 is the East side of the City.
Bill was born in Eaton Rapids in 1949. One of six children, he attended the public school system in Eaton Rapids, graduating in 1967. He married Betty the same year and they had two sons: Louis & Becky, of Crestview, Florida, and William Jr. & Pam, of Eaton Rapids. The Steele’s have five grandchildren.
Bill was hired at Oldsmobile in Lansing in 1968. While employed for General Motors he earned “Certified Quality Technician” status through the American Society of Quality Control. As a result, he was hired as an Adjunct Faculty/part time instructor at Lansing Community College in the Dept. of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, teaching basic Quality Control courses on and off campus. This led to the development of a Statistical Process Control (SPC) training program for production assembly employees at Lansing Car Assembly. Bill studied for his Private Pilot exam, taking flying lessons, earning his license in 1990. He was also trained as an ISO 9000 Quality Systems internal auditor for Lansing Car Assembly operations. Bill also worked as an Organizational Development Consultant and traveled to various GM locations around the US and Canada. He retired from GM in 2004 after 37 years.
After retirement he joined the Eaton Rapids Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in 2006 and served as President for 6 years. He was the Eaton Rapids delegate for 2 years, attending the Department of Homeland Security/Michigan State Police conference in Traverse City, Michigan.
Bill recently served the City as Secretary of the Tax Board of Review and is currently on the Board of Directors for the Eaton Rapids Conservation Club.
Bill looks forward to serving the people of the City and has some ideas as to the future of Eaton Rapids but would welcome some additional thoughts from others in the City. You can usually find him walking around town and during the summer months, frequently at the Wednesday night car ‘Cruise In’ on Main St.
Council-Member-At-Large
Councilman Gary Wichman
gwichman@cityofeatonrapids.com
Councilman Wichman is a 40 year resident of Eaton Rapids. He and his wife Cheryl have 4 grown children, all of which attended the Eaton Rapids Public Schools. Councilman Wichman is retired from PNC Bank after a 38 year banking career.
Councilman Wichman has served on numerous local boards and commissions including: ERPS Board of Education, ERPS Education Foundation, ER Medical Center Board of Trustees, Eaton Rapids Community Foundation, City of Eaton Rapids DDA, LDFA and Planning Commission. Councilman Wichman currently serves on the boards of the Eaton County Community Foundation, ERMC Foundation, ER Community Alliance, ER Marketing Alliance and the ER Development Corporation. Councilman Wichman is also active in his church serving on the leadership team.
Due to various community initiatives, Councilman Wichman believes the Eaton Rapids Area is poised to move forward as a vibrant and energetic Mid Michigan Small town. He is especially excited about he prospects for our downtown and its ability to become a draw for visitors as well as to generate new residents for the Eaton Rapids area. Councilman Wichman looks forward to being part of the leadership team that aids in this important period for Eaton Rapids.
Minutes
Unapproved Minutes are posted at City Hall for public inspection in the week following a Council Meeting. Minutes are available online after their approval by Council, which takes place at the subsequent City Council meeting.
Agendas
Agendas are posted at City Hall for public inspection in the week preceding a Council Meeting. Agenda’s are posted online no less than 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Archived Minutes
Archived Agendas
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