Evan Bonsall and Andrew Lorinser, who were elected on Nov. 5 to fill the seats of term-limited Commissioner Dave Campana and Mayor Pro Tem Sarah Reynolds, took their oaths of office with Marquette City Clerk Kris Hazeres at the meeting.

Bonsall thanked all those who voted in the election, saying: “It’s the honor of my life to serve as a city commissioner here in the city of Marquette.

“All I can promise is that I will do my best, that I’ll be as transparent as possible, that I’ll be as responsive as possible,” he said. “And to that end, I would just remind anyone that if you have any issues, any concerns, any questions, please go to the city website, it should be updated soon, and you can find my email address and my phone number; feel free to give me a call or shoot me a text.”

Lorinser said it “is a privilege and an honor to work with all of you,” noting “last Tuesday was a celebration of the sanctity of democracy.

From left, incoming Marquette City Commissioner Andrew Lorinser takes his oath of office with Marquette City Clerk Kris Hazeres at Tuesday night’s organizational meeting of the Marquette City Commission while commissioners Evan Bonsall and Pete Frazier look on. Lorinser and Bonsall were both elected on Nov. 5 to fill the seats of Commissioner Dave Campana and Mayor Pro Tem Sarah Reynolds, who were both term-limited after serving six years on the commission. The commission also elected commissioners Jenna Smith and Jenn Hill as mayor and mayor pro tem, respectively, during the meeting. (Journal photo by Cecilia Brown)

“Winning by 20 votes is so humbling; that’s a good thing because servitude is about humility,” Lorinser said. “I want to thank the other candidates for being part of this conversation — on any given day, it could be any one of us sitting up here today — so I want you to know that I recognize that, I’m aware of that and I hope to absorb some of your perspectives during my term, because they’re so important, you are leaders. And I now recognize that I do not only serve the people who voted for me but the entire community, other candidates and your supporters as well.”

Lorinser also noted that in the spirit of “humility and gratitude,” he wanted to acknowledge that the city of Marquette occupies the “traditional, ancestral and contemporary homelands of the Anishinaabe,” and that he hopes to be “continuously cognizant” of an “outlook that involves the next seven generations, especially as it pertains to development, growth, water and sustainability.”

Bonsall and Lorinser will both serve three-year terms on the commission, with the option to run for a second three-year term.

After Bonsall and Lorinser were sworn in, the commission elected Smith as mayor and Hill as mayor pro tem for the next year.

Smith is one of only a handful of female mayors in Marquette’s history, commissioners noted.

Smith thanked the commission for electing her as mayor, noting that she is “hopeful and confident that we can continue to work together to move the city forward.”

“I know that we all want what is best for the city of Marquette and if we keep that in mind, I know we can continue to achieve great things,” Smith said, adding that she looks forward to working with Hill as the mayor pro tem.

Hill said: “Congratulations to Mayor Smith. I look forward to working with you, I look forward to this next role in representing the city and the honor that I have to sit in this chair.”

Smith and the commission as a whole welcomed the new commissioners and thanked outgoing members for their service.

“First and foremost, I wanted to welcome and congratulate Commissioner Bonsall and Commissioner Lorinser; we’re glad to have you; I’m looking forward to working with you both,” Smith said. “I also wanted to again thank Dave Campana and Sarah Reynolds for their six years of service. The dedication you provided to the city of Marquette has really made Marquette a better place to be. Thank you. Also, I wanted to thank Fred Stonehouse and Sarah Reynolds for serving most recently as mayor and mayor pro tem. Under your leadership, we certainly tackled a lot of very difficult issues in the last year.”

Stonehouse also thanked Reynolds and Campana for their service while welcoming the new commissioners and the new mayor and mayor pro tem.

While the role of mayor comes with challenges, Stonehouse said: “It’s the really best job you’ll ever do, it’s the best opportunity you’ll ever have to meet great people, to work with them.”

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.