David Zemens | Rochester City Council

Twenty-seven years ago my wife and young family were considering a move from urban Detroit to suburban Oakland County.  We were in search of a community that had “sidewalks and street lights”.  At that time, and still to this day, there are not many communities that have these amenities.  In 1982 there were even less.  The community we settled on was Rochester.  Sidewalks and streetlights. Yup, our requirements were met.  We moved.  And we’re still here today.

Over the course of the next twenty-seven years we raised a family in this community.  Our two sons are now many years out of college.  They both have college degrees and can thank the Rochester Community Schools for setting the foundation for their college education.  My wife and I have both worked in the greater Rochester community since that time as well.

Don’t Worry, There’s a Point to This Article

At this exact moment, I am sitting in the Bean & Leaf coffee shop that sits squarely at University & Main.   The Big Bright Light Show lights just flickered on outside the window I am sitting in front of. The coffee shop is bustling with late afternoon activity; college students, middle-aged guys like me, a young mother with a five year old, two women having a chat.  Pretty much a cross section of our community and they’ve all chosen to meet right here.  Right now.  Why is that?

I suppose there are many reasons why we are all here in downtown Rochester.  But the central reason we are all calling this location home this afternoon is because Rochester is a great town.  We have everything going for us in Rochester.  We are located in a beautiful suburban area complete with beautiful oak trees, rolling hills, reclaimed railroads now turned into great walking and biking trails, great restaurants, retail shopping and service & professional businesses as well.

Rochester – The Real Deal

Rochester is indeed the real deal.  Decades and decades of hard work, community spirit and involvement and a dedicated local government have left us with what we have today.  I, for one, am thankful for the contributions that everyone has made throughout history.  We are all very fortunate to have found ourselves in such a great place.

Pretty Big Shoes to Fill

Those of us who have been trusted with the responsibility of steering our city into the future are wise to look to the past for guidance.  Did all the decisions made by past city councils turn out to be correct?  Certainly not.  Have mistakes been made by past councils and past city administrations?  Certainly.  Have mistakes been made by the current city council and administration?  Indeed they have.  But that’s to be expected.  We are all human and we all learn from our mistakes.  Hopefully.

I hope that as the seven of us on the current city council move forward into the next decade we can do so while always keeping the best interest of our city first and foremost in our minds.  We are in a unique position to come together as a group and work effectively as we take on new challenges.  I’m up for it and I hope everyone else is, too.