Retired Grosse Pointe Woods City Manager Frank Schulte stands on the walking path at Ghesquiere Park, which was one of his favorite projects.
By: K. Michelle Moran | Grosse Pointe Times | Published May 6, 2026
GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Public Service Recognition Week runs May 3 to 9, and few have better exemplified public service than Frank Schulte.
For more than half his life, Schulte was dedicated to public service in the Pointes, most recently as Grosse Pointe Woods’ city administrator and then city manager. Now, he’s enjoying a well-deserved retirement.
“It’s just time,” said Schulte, whose wife, Betsy, was slated to retire this year.
Frank Schulte, 65, grew up in Grosse Pointe Park and graduated from Grosse Pointe South High School in 1979. In 1980, he was hired as a laborer for Grosse Pointe City.
“I started off in the Cushman (vehicle) picking up garbage,” Schulte recalled.
Schulte worked his way up the ranks, becoming a truck driver, foreman and then, in 2001, supervisor of public service. He retired from the city on Nov. 20, 2015, but didn’t stay retired long, accepting a job as the forester in Grosse Pointe Woods in January 2016. Six months later, the Woods asked Schulte to become its new director of public services, where he changed the mood of the department.
“I coached soccer for 15 years as a travel coach, so I gained a lot of insight into how to operate as a team,” said Schulte, who immediately met with the Woods Department of Public Works staff and asked them what they needed to make their jobs easier and safer. “I wanted them to feel as though they were a part of something. I treated them how I wanted to be treated and made them feel like they had a say.”
Woods Director of Public Services Jim Kowalski — who had been the assistant director under Schulte — worked with Schulte for 10 years but has known him for more than 20 because they were both involved in irrigating the fields for a local soccer association. Kowalski said Schulte prepared him to become the department director and set a good example for him to follow.
“One of the things I’m forever grateful for is he set me up for success with his guidance,” Kowalski said.
Between the start of the Great Recession in 2008 and 2016, Kowalski said the bad economy resulted in no raises and old vehicles and equipment for the department.
“Morale wasn’t at its best,” Kowalski said. “As soon as Frank got here, he changed the culture.”
Schulte, he said, showed respect and didn’t micromanage the employees.
“People ended up staying on because of him,” Kowalski said. “He definitely taught me how to be successful and how to treat employees. One of the greatest things he taught me was how to listen — listen, digest and then make a decision. … I just respected how he built a culture of teamwork and accountability.”
Woods Assistant Director for Public Services Matt Crook echoed those sentiments and said he’s one of the city employees who stayed because of Schulte. He said Schulte asked them what they needed to do their jobs.
“He gave us the opportunity and the tools that we needed to make our jobs safer and more efficient for ourselves and the residents,” Crook said. “He brought new life to the department. He really uplifted the department.”
Crook doesn’t just work for the Woods — he also grew up there and lives there now.
“I’ve never seen an administration get so much done in such a short amount of time. … He understands how things work and how things get done,” Crook said. “He was very good at moving the chess pieces around.”
Crook said Schulte was a “phenomenal” mentor.
“I think he’s left us in good hands,” Crook said. “He did everything he could to build us up to where we are.”
Peter Randazzo, who retired as Grosse Pointe City’s director of public service on Dec. 31, 2025, also remembered Schulte’s mentorship, saying Schulte “took me under his wing.”
“I learned the sewer system under him,” Randazzo said. “I learned how to treat people under him. He was very calm and level-headed. He knew how to treat people. I saw him as a great family man. … He was just the best of the best.”
Schulte’s leadership skills made him a prime candidate to step into the Woods’ top administrative role as city manager — formerly city administrator — in 2022.
But retired Woods City Administrator Bruce Smith — Schulte’s predecessor — said Schulte “almost didn’t take” the position, until Smith “talked him into it.”
“Frank is a great guy,” Smith said. “We were a great team working together. We got a lot of things accomplished.”
Schulte continued to get projects accomplished as city manager. They included a new splash pad at Lake Front Park, a complete makeover at Chene-Trombley Park, the addition of a Deferred Retirement Option Plan to retain public safety veterans, a $2.2 million safer new intersection and pedestrian crossings at Mack Avenue and Vernier Road that was entirely covered by grants, and a walking path at Ghesquiere Park that’s used by residents year-round and makes use of previously underutilized sections of the park.
“It’s very serene,” Schulte said of the walking path, which winds through the park.
But he won’t take credit for all the work that was accomplished during his tenure.
“There’s no ‘I’ in team,” Schulte said. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of the council and a lot of help from all the departments.”
Schulte’s last day was Dec. 31, 2025. The Woods held a retirement party for Schulte Jan. 22 in its Community Center. Dozens were on hand.
“Frank’s been very important to the city of Grosse Pointe Woods because he had a lot of ideas and knew how to get them done,” Mayor Arthur Bryant said. “We’re better off for his time here.”
City Councilman Todd McConaghy echoed those sentiments.
“Respect is never given — it is earned,” McConaghy said. “And Frank earned the respect of all of the city employees and elected officials. He made a profound impact on the development of numerous projects. He will be missed.”
City Councilwoman Vicki Granger — the longest-serving official currently on the council — said the Woods has been fortunate to have “a lot of great city managers,” and she put Schulte in that category. She praised him for his time leading the DPW as well.
“We’ve been very blessed to have someone like Frank,” Granger said. “He empowered people to do their jobs. He’s been encouraging and positive to people. … He’s always been very, very responsive.”
Stephen Pangori, president of the engineering firm Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick — which is used by many of the Pointes, including the Woods and the City — remembers meeting Schulte when he was still with Grosse Pointe City.
“I enjoyed working with him,” said Pangori, one of the well-wishers at the retirement party. “Frank has always been the consummate professional and always did the right thing, which we appreciated tremendously. To this day, I rely on his notes on drawings in Grosse Pointe Woods.”
City Manager Susan Como, who was the assistant city manager under Schulte, spoke highly of him as well.
“I was fortunate to work with such a generous mentor who believed in his team,” Como said by email. “I’m grateful for the trust, guidance, and support he provided to me throughout our tenure together. I learned a great deal from his approach to leadership, collaboration, and commitment to the community.”
As someone who has become friends with many of his co-workers, Schulte said he’ll miss the people he worked with the most.
Schulte and his wife have a son in California and a daughter in Chicago, both of whom are now parents themselves. The couple hopes to spend more time with their children and grandchildren, and also wants to do more traveling. Schulte hopes to spend more time on his boat this summer as well.
“Working with the Woods the last 10 years has been the best part of my life,” Schulte said. “It’s been a great place to work.”