Michigan Army National Guard Sgt. Cody Mayer, who is also a Marquette city commissioner, stands in front of the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Mayer was one of thousands of National Guard soldiers from across the country to be deployed to the nation’s capital in support of inauguration security efforts over the last two months. Mayer returned home to Michigan on March 15. (Photos courtesy of Cody Mayer)

MARQUETTE — Over 1,000 Michigan National Guard soldiers returned home from Washington, D.C., on March 15 with the completion of the Post Inaugural Security Mission at the U.S. Capitol.

One of those soldiers is Marquette City Commissioner Cody Mayer. When he’s not on duty defending the nation or fulfilling his duties as a city commissioner, he spends his time with his wife Ashley and 1-year-old daughter Arya.

If that sounds like a busy life, that’s because it is. Mayer, however, was aware of what he was getting himself into when he ran for a seat on the commission in 2020.

“It’s really a balancing act at the end of the day,” he said. “When I’m not on duty, I essentially have to ask myself this: How many hours do I need to get this done? How much time do I need to read and understand constituents’ comments or concerns that have contacted me? How much time do I need to read city staff reports, agenda items, background information, etc.?”

When away from home fulfilling his National Guard commitments, Mayer also needs to find time to keep in touch with his family and to rest.

“After all of that and making sure I have time to video chat my wife and daughter before the little one goes to bed, I then set my alarm for the morning and my phone tells me how much sleep I’m going to get,” he said. “The shortest being four hours and the longest has been seven hours, but for the most part I get between five to six hours of sleep.”

Mayer enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard at 17 years old. He’s a 2020 graduate of Northern Michigan University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in public administration with a focus in economics, and served two terms as president of Associated Students of NMU, the university’s student government body.

Mayer is a member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and won a seat on the city commission in the Nov. 3 general election, becoming the first member of a federally recognized tribe to be elected to the commission. He was also the second youngest commissioner to ever be elected, right behind fellow commissioner Evan Bonsall, who is eight months younger than Mayer.

After the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that left five dead, including a Capitol police officer, National Guard troops from across the country were deployed to D.C. to assist with ramped up security measures ahead of the inauguration of President Joe Biden.

The Michigan National Guard was activated on Jan. 13, leading to a deployment that lasted just over two months.

“We were there to support the Capitol Police and Secret Service,” Mayer said. “We were there to ensure a peaceful transfer of power, and persevere as we always have, as Americans.”

Mayer said that standing guard in the nation’s capital was a mission he never imagined doing.

“It was interesting to say the least,” he said. “I enlisted when I was 17 years old to serve my community, state and country in any capacity that I was needed. Being asked to defend our nation’s capital was never something I envisioned doing, but myself and my fellow Michigan National Guard members were ready to answer this call ­­­and defend our democracy.”

The most difficult part about being away for so long was having to miss some major family milestones.

“It was difficult, my daughter turned one (year old) while I was in D.C., and my wife is finishing the last semester of her degree currently, while also being a full-time mom,” Mayer said. “My wife is the toughest and most resilient person I know. I find her inspiring, honestly, and she is beyond supportive of my military service.”

Despite a busy two months away from home, Mayer has managed to attend most city commission meetings, commission work sessions and other city functions, thanks in part to meetings being held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also did his best to keep in touch with city residents and address their concerns, he said.

“The big thing I’d like residents to know is that I am getting their emails and messages,” he said while away on active duty. “Any time I receive a comment from a member of the public, I make a deliberate habit of reading it the same day. However, my response rate (currently) is not as fast, because I simply don’t have enough time at the moment, but their concerns are being read and I take notes to keep track of the issues raised.”

Now that Mayer is back in Marquette, he’s once again ready to address residents’ concerns in a more timely manner. Affordable housing, lakeshore restoration and economic recovery are just a few items Mayer has mentioned in the past as priority issues for the commission to tackle.

“I’m eager to get back to work at full capacity in my role as a city commissioner,” he said. “First, the lack of affordable workforce housing is absolutely a priority of mine. The city’s affordable housing ad-hoc committee will likely release its final report in June, and we will have a better idea moving forward on what the best course of action should be.

“Second, the completion of the Lakeshore Boulevard shoreline project. We are approaching phase two of that project and we were hoping to have it completed this summer, but COVID delays related to engineering and permitting will likely push the completion off until the summer of 2022.

“Lastly, I have been focusing a tremendous amount of my time and energy on finding ways to support our local businesses and working class families. Focusing on our local economic recovery has to be a priority moving forward.”

Looking back on his time serving in D.C., it’s a period Mayer will remember for the rest of his life.

“It’s an experience I’ll never forget,” he said. “We as a country should never forget.”

Asked what he would tell citizens after his experience in the nation’s capital, Mayer said people just need to bring an open mind to the table.

“We need to listen to one another,” he said. “Not just make a counter argument, but to actually listen and understand what others are saying and why their beliefs are different. We cannot come together as a people if we don’t understand what makes us different from one another.”

Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.