Madison Heights City Council members sworn in, those leaving office honored

MADISON HEIGHTS — The Madison Heights City Council has undergone dramatic change with the adjournment of its 35th council and the start of its 36th.

The changeover occurred at the council meeting Nov. 19, when Judge Keith Hunt from the 43rd District Court in Madison Heights swore in the new mayor, Corey Haines — also the city’s former police chief, and the current police chief of Eastpointe — along with returning Councilwoman Toya Aaron and new Councilwoman Laurie Geralds. Haines’ mayoral term is for two years, while the council terms are for four years.

Tributes were also paid to the departing council members, including the former mayor, Roslyn Grafstein, and former mayor pro tem, Mark Bliss, as well as David Soltis. All three chose not to run for reelection this year.

William Mier also began a new term on council, now as its mayor pro tem. He was the top vote-getter in the council race Nov. 4, followed by Aaron and then Geralds, who ran as a write-in candidate. Quinn Wright, a council member who ran for mayor against Haines, retains his seat on council.

 

Words of appreciation
Each of the departing members received a resolution describing their contributions.

Grafstein joined the council in 2017 and became mayor in 2020. She has lived in the city since 2004 and is a chartered financial analyst with a degree in economics. Grafstein revived the Environmental Citizens Committee, helping to expand sustainability projects such as rain gardens and pollinator-friendly gardens while restoring the city’s tree canopy. She also led efforts to modernize the city’s zoning policies, strengthen infrastructure and support local businesses.

The resolution also noted her support for a hotel ordinance to combat human trafficking, and how she led early pandemic response efforts by securing emergency vehicle decontamination services and organizing vaccine clinics at no cost to the city or its residents.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” Grafstein told her colleagues.

Bliss first joined the council in 2013 and served as mayor pro tem for eight years under three different mayors. During his tenure, he helped navigate the city through crises such as the “great flood” of 2014, the “green ooze” incident on Interstate 696 shortly before the pandemic, and then the pandemic itself. He is a lifelong resident of Madison Heights and a third-generation homeowner who graduated from Lamphere High School.

Bliss founded both the Information Technology Advisory Committee and the Madison Heights Arts Board. The ITAC modernized the city with meeting livestreams, social media, enhanced cybersecurity and police body cameras. The Arts Board created murals around town, started the music festival Trail Tunes, and secured grant funding for projects such as the bandshell at Civic Center Park. Bliss also chaired a Historical Commission subcommittee that renamed venues in honor of past community members, and he started a special projects fund where money is set aside each year for matching grant opportunities.

“This has been the profound honor of my life to serve on the City Council,” Bliss began, choking up at points as he thanked his dad — the late Tony Bliss — as well as mentors such as former council members Margene Scott and the late Robert Corbett.

He also praised city staff, including Melissa Marsh — “the greatest city manager we’ve ever had,” he said to applause — and other colleagues past and present, including Brian Hartwell — the current judge of the 43rd District Court in Hazel Park — who would provide a listening ear to Bliss’s “wild and crazy ideas,” as Bliss put it, back when Hartwell was the mayor of Madison Heights.

Bliss also reminded the incoming council that incremental progress through compromise is better than no progress at all.

“In my experience, the work of City Council is not about the big swing — we’re not trying to get a grand slam every time we come up here — but rather it’s about finding any way that you can to get on base and then allow our incredible staff — and our incredible network of volunteers this city was built on — to take that one idea and get it all the way across home plate,” Bliss said. “Any one small strategic choice is capable of sparking huge positive changes.”

Soltis joined the council the same year as Bliss and served just as long. His tenure was defined by advocacy helping those in need, such as senior citizens, families with children and those struggling to make ends meet.

Soltis organized bus trips to Lansing each year so that seniors could meet state lawmakers, and he supported Meals on Wheels, home assistance programs, and the development of the Active Adult Center. He championed the creation of “no hit” zones protecting children in public spaces, and he gave detailed presentations raising awareness on the effects of child abuse.

Soltis also pushed for public safety, spearheading the ordinance cracking down on drugs and human trafficking at local hotels, reinstating the city’s undercover Special Investigations Unit, and helping secure the Madison Heights Police Department with a perimeter fence.

He declined to comment that night, but others were quick to praise him.

“Councilman Soltis, I want to thank you for your unwavering support for our most vulnerable residents, and your care and compassion for our elders and our youngest residents,” Grafstein said. “Thank you for that.”

 

The new council
During closing comments, the new and returning council members shared their thoughts.

Haines asked Aaron to speak first.

“I want to say, now that we have concluded our first meeting as the 36th council for Madison Heights … I’m so looking forward to the next four years working with each of you,” Aaron said. “It’s a privilege to return to this seat.”

Aaron emphasized the importance of community feedback.

“Public engagements are essential to the government of our city. It’s your perspective that helps us work together, to guide and lead the city, to make recommendations to what the city needs. I’ve heard the voices; I read the Facebook pages — I hear you. And as we move forward, I want to emphasize the work ahead of us requires a lot of collaboration, a lot of patience,” Aaron said.

“I respectfully ask the community to give this new council 100 days to assess, to organize and to implement the foundational steps needed to ensure long-term progress. We need to be able to work together,” she said. “I’m so happy the next four years are about to be the best four years Madison Heights has seen in a while.”

Mier was similarly optimistic.

“It’s a privilege and an honor to work with this group,” Mier said. “I will take this new title of mayor pro tem and make it the best two years Madison Heights has ever seen and then continue as just a plain old councilman for another two fantastic years. I’m certainly looking forward to the next four years serving with this group.”

Geralds said she appreciates how groups like the Arts Board and initiatives like the bandshell at Civic Center Park have been improving quality of life in the city.

“I also really want to thank our community right now. They are super generously stepping up for the (Madison Heights Food Pantry), in light of everything going on,” Geralds said. “I am really honored to be here. Thank you so much — I’m looking forward to working with you all.”

The new mayor wrapped up the meeting by thanking the residents.

“Honestly, none of us could be here without the support of the community,” Haines said. “It’s just overwhelming, and I just cannot thank you enough for coming out here showing your support for all of us tonight.”