Marilyn Oliver is a Treasurer for the People in Ecorse

Marilyn Oliver was born and raised in Ecorse and has seen the city's ups and downs over the years. Now having been re-elected as the Ecorse City Treasurer, Oliver says she sees her role in city government as one that is able promote community in Ecorse. "I do not think that we reach out to the community to encourage involvement and engagement; I try to do that from this office," she says.

Oliver spent 37 years working in the utility sector, where she gained skills in customer service, budgeting, and corporate responsibility. She retired in 2013.

Oliver says that her interest in civics began in 2009. An emergency financial manager had been appointed by the state to oversee the city's finances and she decided to become involved in what was going on in Ecorse. "I thought that was a new beginning for the city and I thought that would be a learning curve to understand how city government is run," she says.

While her goal was to gain a better understanding of municipal government, she says she began to feel as if she were becoming a community activist. "I was questioning everything...and suggesting different things," she recalls. It was then that people began suggesting to her that she run for public office in the city.

"I never had any interest in doing that, but then I thought I don't like the way things are going, so maybe I should try to join the ranks and make a difference," she recalls. In 2013, she attempted to run for a seat on Ecorse City Council but was unsuccessful. She then realized that the city lacked a representative in the city treasurer's office, due to the presence of the emergency financial manager. In 2016, she attempted a run for city treasurer, but again, was unsuccessful. Undeterred, she ran for treasurer again in 2018-and won.

Oliver was re-elected to the two-year position this past November. Her office accepts and records payments for property taxes, licenses and fees, among others, while the remainder of city's financial duties are handled by the city controller's office. She says she plans to supplement her office's role with providing information and resources to assist residents in whatever issue they may have, including water bills and delinquent property taxes. In fact, Oliver's office had reached out to the Wayne County Treasurer's Office and other community agencies that are able to offer support to residents in need.

"Even as a treasurer, I still feel like I'm a citizen first," she says. "Then as being an elected officer, I try to figure out how I can influence the city to represent all of the residents. It's going to take the whole community to make the change that we need to see, so my message is, be the change that you want to see."

To contact the Ecorse Treasurer's Office go to http://www.ecorsemi.gov and click on Treasurer. Marilyn Oliver can be reached at 313-294-3715 or at [email protected].