Outgoing Grosse Pointe Farms Mayor Louis Theros passes the gavel to new Mayor John Gillooly at the Nov. 10 Farms City Council meeting.
By: K. Michelle Moran | Grosse Pointe Times | Published December 17, 2025
GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Louis Theros might have served as mayor of Grosse Pointe Farms for the last eight years, but he doesn’t take credit for the city’s accomplishments under his leadership.
“We were always the most unified (City) Council, marching in the same direction,” said Theros, who didn’t run for reelection in November. “That’s why we were able to get a lot done.”
City Councilwoman Sierra Donaven said Theros showed “eloquence and class” as mayor. He was also someone who wanted to work with others.
“He doesn’t say ‘me,’” Donaven said in October. “He doesn’t say ‘I.’ He says, ‘Let’s see how we can get you there.’”
A native of the Grosse Pointes who grew up in Grosse Pointe Woods and who has lived in every Pointe except the Shores, Theros served on the City Council from 2001 until 2017 and as mayor from 2017 until 2025. An attorney by training, he learned the importance of service from his parents, Spero and Barbara, both of whom were immigrants from Greece.
Theros said it was his wife Patti’s quest for a single ordinance change that got him into local politics in the first place. He also laughingly noted that his wife, who has been active in multiple community organizations over the years, is more well recognized than him, with people often saying, “Oh, you’re Patti’s husband!”
“That’s the best title I’ve ever had,” Theros said.
After serving as the vice president and legal counsel for the MGM Grand Detroit, in January 2025, Theros became president of the MGM Springfield casino in Massachusetts. Then, in late April, he was also named president of Empire City Casino in Yonkers, New York. Theros had already been planning not to run again this fall, but his busy travel schedule for his jobs sealed the deal.
“I didn’t believe in (being a) ‘mayor for life,’” Theros said. “I did this last term in order to complete everything we needed to put that sewer into the ground.”
The Inland District sewer separation project, currently underway, is a massive undertaking aimed at reducing the risk of basement sewage backups.
City Manager Shane Reeside publicly recognized Theros during the mayor’s last meeting Oct. 13.
“Mr. Mayor, I just want to thank you for your vision (and) your wisdom … over the last 24 years,” Reeside said. “It’s been a great ride and a great journey with you.”
Reeside said the mayor emphasized transparency and played an important role in improvements at the parks and infrastructure over the last two decades.
“All of our city staff, we appreciate the support you’ve given us,” Reeside said. “You’ve always had our backs. … We thank you for your service.”
City Councilwoman Beth Konrad-Wilberding said in October that there was “no replacement” for Theros, saying that he has a gift for building relationships and earning the respect of others.
“You sit down with people,” Konrad-Wilberding said. “You talk with people.”
City Councilman Neil Sroka acknowledged that he and Theros might not be aligned politically, but Theros made it clear when Sroka was elected that he wanted them to work as a team, recalling how the mayor invited the council newcomer to breakfast four years ago. Sroka said Theros has since become a mentor to him.
“He is definitely the kind of leader I want to be, a servant leader,” Sroka said. “We can have differences of opinion without being disagreeable.”
Retired Farms Public Safety Director Daniel Jensen — who was elected to the City Council in November — said it was Theros who encouraged him to run for office this year.
“I appreciate all of the support and friendship over the years. … It was a pleasure working with you,” Jensen told Theros, recognizing their work together as a city administrator and mayor.
“His leadership inspired us in so many ways,” City Councilman Lev Wood said.
Even longtime City Attorney William Burgess weighed in on the mayor’s time in office.
“As inappropriate as it is for me to say anything, I will,” Burgess said. “The most important thing the ladies and the gentlemen at this table accomplish is future planning and financial stewardship. … Louie is unparalleled in his focus on the future … and getting the minor details right every single time.”
During a Nov. 10 meeting, new Mayor John Gillooly read a proclamation in Theros’ honor and shared that the council chambers — which also serve as the municipal courtroom — had been named after Theros.
“Mr. Mayor, you will always be our mayor,” Gillooly told Theros, praising him for his transparency and “always looking out for the residents.”
At 61, Theros said he has spent more than half of his adult life at the council table. The father of two adult sons said he plans to continue to contribute to the community but in different ways. He also hopes to spend more time with family and continue to perform with his band, Ish, which has been together for the last 11 years. Theros is the drummer; he’s been playing drums since he was in third grade and was inspired to take up the instrument by his cousin, Frank, who Theros thought “was cool.” Ish plays music from the 1960s to today by artists as varied as Depeche Mode, Tom Petty and Carly Rae Jepsen.
“If you can dance to it, we play it,” Theros said.
True to form, Theros refused to single himself out for credit for any of the city’s achievements over the last 24 years, recognizing it’s always a team effort.
“I learned something from everybody at this table,” Theros said in October.