Contact:
Jessica Weirauch
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected], 734-669-6311
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 16, 2024
Ann Arbor, Mich. — Lapeer Mayor Pro Tem Joshua Atwood was named to serve as the League’s Board of Trustees vice president for the 2024–25 term. Atwood has served on the 20-member board since 2021.
Atwood was selected to serve this role during the 2024 Convention on Mackinac Island. The board also elected Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Don Gerrie to serve as president. Atwood is in line to become president in 2025–26.
Atwood began serving on the City of Lapeer’s Commission in 2015 as a city commissioner. He is the youngest commissioner elected since Lapeer was established as a city in 1869. Atwood co-established the city’s first-ever Youth Council. Under his leadership, the Youth Council established the city’s first volunteer group, Lapeer City Superheroes. The volunteer group is very proactive in doing city cleanups, planting flowers and lending a helping hand whenever possible.
Atwood is not afraid to get dirty as a public servant who leads from the front. He can be seen planting city flowers one day, picking up garbage and sweeping up cigarette butts downtown the next day. Atwood holds a monthly event, “coffee with a commish,” that has been very instrumental for public engagement. He has even hosted “coffee with a commish: teen edition” targeting the next generation of leaders, business owners and residents. He has been a leader in the growth of ecotourism in the city and an important part of the growth and success of downtown Lapeer.
Atwood is excited to bring this dedication to his new role as vice president and already has a vision for what he can bring to the organization as a leader. “I really want to accomplish connecting the dots; I think that’s what it’s all about. And building bridges—beyond just our iconic Mackinac Bridge—and maintaining those bridges. I think this will help us build a better future, including bringing families here from around the U.S.”
The League’s membership also selected five new board members to join the 2024–25 board during its annual business meeting held at Convention. The new members are Bridgman City Manager Juan E. Ganum, Berkley Councilmember Dennis Hennen, Zeeland Mayor Kevin Klynstra, Marquette City Manager Karen Kovacs and Ferndale Mayor Raylon Leaks-May.
They join Atwood, Gerrie and other volunteers who remain on the board: Wayland Mayor Jennifer Antel, Greenville City Manager George M. Bosanic, Troy Councilmember Rebecca Chamberlain-Creanga, Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley, Harper Woods Mayor Valerie Kindle, Farmington Mayor Joe LaRussa, Rogers City Mayor Scott McLennan, Grandville Councilmember Joshua Meringa, Pontiac Deputy Mayor Khalfani Stephens, Hastings Mayor David J. Tossava, Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington, Detroit Director of Government Affairs Stephanie Grimes Washington and Lake Isabella Village Manger Tim Wolff.
The League’s Executive Director and CEO Dan Gilmartin thanked the outgoing trustees for their service: Monroe Mayor Robert E. Clark, L’Anse Village Manager Robert LaFave, Mason City Manager Deborah Stuart and Holland City Manager Keith Van Beek.
For additional information, contact the League’s Jessica Weirauch, Director, Marketing and Communications, at 734-669-6311 or [email protected].
Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C. and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.
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