Hartz departs council proud of his role in city government
GAYLORD — After eight years of serving on the Gaylord City Council, Stephen Hartz decided against seeking another term.
"I am in the construction design industry and I have started working for a friend of mine. A lot of our work is west of here, in Boyne City, Charlevoix and Petoskey. I am away more than I am here and I feel that I can't do this job justice if I am not able to be closer to home all the time," Hartz said.
He was appointed to the council in 2015 to fill the remainder of Jerry Campbell's term after Campbell had passed away. He ran for the seat in the 2016 election and won.
"I don't think people know how much effort really needs to go into this position. Going in I didn't realize that it was twice-a-month meetings and a four-year term. I was thinking it was a once-a-month meeting and a two-year term," Hartz continued. "Then I am on three subcommittees so there is that extra time that I am involved in as well."
While in school, Hartz had served in student government so that inspired him to consider a local office.
"I had always enjoyed that and Mr. Jenkins (former Gaylord Mayor John Jenkins) was a good friend of mine. As soon as I moved into town I felt like he was there asking me to become involved," he recalled.
He started off by serving on the planning commission, which he is still involved with now as chairman. When the city council seat opened up Jenkins approached Hartz about joining the panel.
Hartz said he is proud to have had a role in the overall growth and development of the city in his eight years on council.
"Our roadways look pretty phenomenal and traveling to other communities, I feel like our city streets are in good shape," he said. "One of my goals was to add walkability to the city and we have added sidewalks and upgraded them as well. I really wanted to expand Aspen Park further than what it is now and I wanted to see it grow."
Taking an active role on the council is still a public service, according to Hartz.
"It's been fun and interesting and I learned a lot," he added.
Hartz believes that one challenge facing Gaylord in the future is managing its growth.
"As we grow we need to make sure we keep residential residential. The North Ohio project (the vacant 18-acre parcel of land off of West Street) was a big one keeping that residential," he said.
Previously, the council had considered that parcel for a new Michigan State Police post.
Serving in local government can be a thankless job sometimes and Hartz admits he had a hard time dealing with all of the criticism that can come with the position.
"I read a lot of social media and I took a lot of things to heart. There have been many times over the years that I wanted to comment. There is a lot of information that people don't get and their perception is not always the correct one. I did struggle with that at times," Hartz said.
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Debra Jaques ran for Hartz's third ward seat unopposed in the recent election and won. His advice to her was simple and straight forward.
"Have some patience and keep an open mind and follow the guidance of the people who have been on the council longer than she has. I always came in before meetings to talk to the city manager. First it was Joe Duff and I got a lot of wisdom and feedback from him. Now it is Kim (Awrey), and if you have questions don't hesitate to ask and do as much research as you can," said Hartz.
Hartz said council approving the ordinance legalizing the recreational use and sale of marijuana in 2021 proved to be a dilemma for him.
"I struggled with that immensely as my wife is a substance abuse counselor so it was always a tough thing for me," he said. "Thanks to Paul's guidance (city attorney Paul Slough) I think we did the right thing as far as opening it up to the free market."
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Hartz departs council proud of his role in city government
