By: Brian Wells | Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider | Published October 24, 2025
ROSEVILLE — A Roseville councilwoman who recently died is remembered as being passionate about the city and a good friend and confidant.
Jan Haggerty, a longtime Roseville City Council member, died earlier this month. She was 82.
“She loved the city of Roseville,” Mayor Robert Taylor said.
Taylor said Haggerty had been involved in different organizations in the city, including the Optimist Club, the Beautification Commission and the Roseville Historical & Genealogical Society. According to her biography on the city’s webpage, she was a lifelong resident of Roseville and worked as a paralegal. She was first elected to City Council in 2006.
“She was just down to earth and a great person,” Taylor said. “She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
Taylor said she had been sick for about a year. Even though she was watching City Council meetings from home, he said she was constantly calling for updates.
“I stayed in contact with her almost for every meeting, just to keep her up to date in case there was some questions she may have had. Her input was just the best. She always had common sense, which really helped contribute to a lot of our decision-making,” he said.
Taylor said Haggerty will be hard to replace on the council.
“She just wanted to be part of Roseville as much as she could,” he said. “It’s just a shame. It breaks my heart. She’s going to be a hard void to fill, that’s for sure. But she would want us to continue doing the right things for the residents of Roseville.”
Councilman Steven Wietecha, who served on the City Council with Haggerty and worked with her on numerous occasions through the Eastside Community Chamber, said she was always someone he could talk to.
“She was great. She always spoke out to the public. She was always someone you could talk to about anything, and the public could always call her,” he said.
Wietecha said Haggerty’s passing is a terrible loss to the city.
“I’m going to miss the hell out of her,” he said. “She got involved in everything, and it was always everything for the city of Roseville.”
An Oct. 20 post on the chamber’s Facebook page hailed Haggerty’s contributions to the organization and community.
“Jan was far more than a board member — she was a dear friend, a trusted confidant, a wise mentor and a selfless volunteer,” the post states. “Her decades of public service were marked by an unwavering commitment to enhancing the lives of others.”
In a prepared statement, Roseville City Manager Ryan Monroe said Haggerty will be missed by the council, city employees and residents.
“She was truly a wonderful person who took great pride in faithfully serving our residents,” he said.
Haggerty was running for reelection to the City Council and will still appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. However, under Michigan election law, votes cast for a deceased candidate are considered void and will not be counted.
In an email, Tim Tomlinson, Roseville’s city attorney, said the city charter — which was adopted in 1958 — does not address the effect of a vacancy on how votes are counted for a death prior to the election.
“In discussions with the County Clerk’s office, we found a Michigan statute that prohibits the counting of votes for a deceased person remaining on the ballot,” he said. “As such, any charter provision in conflict with the statute is preempted.”
This means, Tomlinson said, that any votes cast for Haggerty would not count.
“A similar occurrence happened in St. Clair Shores in 2015, I believe, and it was confirmed the votes for the deceased were not counted,” he said.
A memorial service for Haggerty is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Recreation Authority of Roseville and Eastpointe, 18185 Sycamore St. in Roseville.