Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield — The Wakefield city council voted Monday evening to appoint Dale White to a seat left vacant when former member Pat Mann resigned, effective Feb. 28.
White has been a member of the planning commission for a decade and is in his third term as the chair.
After mayor John Granato declared White the best candidate, he and members Kay Wiita and Jim Anderson voted for the appointment and mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro voted against it.
When White interviewed for the job by phone last Saturday, he told the council that he has lived in Wakefield for nearly 40 years and has a “passion” for it.
He said he coached in the city for almost three decades and recently was part of the 4 the Kids fundraiser that resulted in a new gym floor for the municipal building. He said his next aim is a dog park near Sunday Lake.
“I’m not against Dale at all,” said Tarro, “but I think we’ve got a lot of issues coming up on the planning commission, and we need him there.”
In reference to younger applicants, Tarro said the city also needs “young blood, new ideas.”
Wiita countered, “I think younger people should get on the planning commission to begin with.” She implied they then would be better equipped to serve on the council.
Commission member Karen Manson also applied for the council position, along with Robert Lane and William Quigley.
At Saturday’s special meeting, during which all candidates were interviewed, Granato had said that if White or Manson were appointed to the council, they would not be able to stay on the commission.
On Monday, however, he reversed that statement and said White’s commission status will rest on whether Anderson wishes to retain his own commission seat.
Granato said only two council appointees may sit on the commission. Currently, he and Anderson are those designees.
Council members were required to appoint someone to the empty council seat because Mann had 250 days remaining in her term at the time she resigned, and the city charter states that the council must appoint a replacement when 90 or more days remain in the vacated term.
Granato said White, who is now in Florida on vacation, will be sworn into his new role at the council’s next meeting.
In addressing the two male applicants, Granato said, “I hope this doesn’t disappoint you guys from running for office in the future.”
Tarro, along with Loraine Mussatti in the audience, thanked the other candidates for applying, and Tarro encouraged them to consider joining the planning commission.
Marijuana ordinance
In other business, the council also voted to adopt Ordinance No. 227, which prohibits any zoning in relation to the establishment of enterprise relating to recreational marijuana within city limits.
Just prior to the council meeting, members of the planning commission also voted in favor of the ordinance after holding a related public hearing at which no comments were made.
The council will meet next on April 23 at 5:30 p.m. in the council room of the municipal building. The meeting originally had been scheduled for April 22, but the council voted to change the date due to a conflict with another local event.
Council members also voted to change their originally scheduled May 27 meeting, which would have been on Memorial Day, to May 28 at 5:30 p.m.
