Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
When the next time the Hancock City Council meets, nearly half of the council members will have changed. Wednesday was the final city council meeting for Mayor Lisa McKenzie, Mayor Pro-Tem Ted Belej, and At Large Councilman Joe Bauman.
A social hour was held in lieu of a work session prior to the meeting, where a cake was presented honoring their combined 35 years of service on the council.
McKenzie has spent the past five years of her 19 years of service as mayor. “I thought that it was best to let the next generation take over. There’s just so many years that serve, I think, and it’s been a great opportunity to be a part of the growth of this city and it’s time to hand the reigns over to the next group coming through and see what they can do with it,” McKenzie said.
She leaves behind a legacy that includes improving the quality of life for those living within the city. McKenzie said “Beautification and the quality of life issues that we started talking about 18-19 years ago—it’s like part of our language now. I’m very proud of that, to have helped the city be so cognizant of the need for quality of life—the new playgrounds and some of the people that have done those and the volunteerism has just been amazing.”
But it’s more than just aesthetics, the local economy has been helped as well. “The other thing I’m really proud of is the LDFA (Local Development Finance Authority) and the MTEC Smartzone. I’ve been a part of that since the very beginning and that is just an amazing part of our community and has done so much to help business and the growth in our communities,” McKenzie said.
The second longest serving member Belej is also stepping down after 12 years on the council. Belej said, “I just got tired of it and I think I can explore other avenues and we’ll see what happens and in the future, who knows what happens?”
McKenzie and Belej were joined by Bauman in their decisions not to seek another term. Bauman had served for the past four years.
After the election, the Hancock City Council will hold an organizational meeting on November 14th to elect a new mayor and mayor pro-tem.
