Former State Representative Kevin Coleman Becomes Westland's 10th Mayor

Last November, Westland residents elected Kevin Coleman to serve as the city's 10th mayor. Having been sworn into office last November 13, Coleman is finishing out the four-year term won by former Mayor William Wild in 2021, who later resigned as mayor. Coleman replaces Mike Londeau, who was chosen by city council in January 2023 to finish out the role of mayor for that year, following Wild's resignation. Following a primary vote, Londeau and Coleman became the two candidates in November vying for the remainder of former Mayor Wild's term. Coleman says he plans to seek re-election in 2025. Coleman most recently served as State Representative for Michigan's 25th House District, and prior to that served on Westland's City Council.

Now five months into the job, Coleman has worked to assess and prioritize the city's needs and has reached out to residents to let them know he is interested in what they have to say. At the top of the list is public safety. As a state representative, Coleman was able to secure funding for Westland to provide for a new fire station and is seeking funding to rebuild another of the city's other fire stations, which were originally built in the 1950s and 60s and are badly in need of renovations. Adding more police officers and upgrading security features at the city's police department are part of the mayor's public safety improvements as well. But just as important as creating a list of goals is getting feedback from the residents about what they want city leaders to address in their neighborhoods. To accomplish this, Coleman introduced a new program, the Mayor's 2024 Listening Tour, which has brought Coleman and other city leaders to the Jefferson Barns Community Center, the Friendship Senior Center, the Westland Public Library, and city hall to meet with residents. "We do so much stuff where we talk to the residents, but what about hearing from them directly about what they want? It's been great, we've had hundreds of people show up, a great mix of people coming to this event and there's so much good input," he says. The mayor adds that his passion is meeting with people, hearing their concerns and ideas, and working to improve the city and the services it offers. "I like to be with the people, I like to be out in the community. I'm somebody that will get my hands dirty and work on the issues personally. I've got a great team here too, so it's gone really well."

Coleman says he plans to build on former Mayor Wild's Compassionate City Initiative, promoting volunteerism, acceptance, and community connections which allow residents the opportunity to look out for and assist their neighbors. At the end of April, Coleman and Council President Pro-Tem Melissa Sampey hosted an Autism Awareness Walk at city hall, which drew about 60 participants, highlighting the importance of understanding developmental disorders and the families that struggle with them.

Local and small businesses in the city will find the city's economic development team promoting them and the contributions they make to Westland's economy via goods and services along with employment opportunities. Coleman wants local businesses to know the city supports them and wants them to succeed. Local businesses are frequently highlighted on Westland's Facebook page.

Coleman says his passion is for the city he grew up in and he is pleased with new economic development within the city, infrastructure improvements, and community events and programs that residents are enthusiastic about, while also bringing visitors to the city.

"I believe that working together is really the key to good government. My whole goal when I ran for office last year was everybody gets a seat at the table. I'm building bridges between the mayor's office, city council, the residents, our firefighters and police officers," says Coleman. "My whole goal is to continue to make this a safer community and an even more business-friendly community so we can see the growth the residents want. I think we're on the right track, we're doing a lot in a very short amount of time and I can't be more excited to continue to serve as mayor."

To see more of what's happening in the city of Westland, go to https://www.cityofwestland.com/.