KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The 54th Kalamazoo City Commission was sworn in on a Zoom meeting Monday night as it will be a couple of months before the City Board is ready to go back to live meetings. Mayor Dave Anderson, along with Vice-Mayor Don Cooney, and newcomers Stephanie Hoffman, Qianna Decker, and Esteven Juarez all raised their right hand and took the oath.
They made it clear that their focus will be on gun violence and homelessness, two of the biggest problems the city has been facing recently. While there were plenty of congratulations from everyone going and coming, public comment took a negative tone as homeless advocates once again accused city leadership of not doing enough.
Mayor Anderson says they will get to work right away. Their first meeting, with a full agenda, is this coming Monday.
They also said goodbye to the previous Commission. Their term began 2-years ago with anger about the redesigned Candy Cane Lane and went downhill from there. During their service, Kalamazoo went from deficits to aspirational funding, through recessions, natural disasters, public unrest, and a pandemic that wrecked everything and trapped them in Zoom for nearly 2 years.
Jack Urban, Erin Knott, Patrece Griffin, and Eric Cunningham were given proclamations and one last chance to address the city as commissioners. Mayor Dave Anderson says they may disagree on some things, but they didn’t let it get in the way of their overriding goal.
The departing commissioners say they will continue to be involved and engaged, just not as commissioners, but will make themselves available to help the newbies in the work ahead.
Comments