Michigan Municipal League_The Review_July-Aug 2022

Northern Field Report

Marquette Mayor Jenna Smith

"I am honored to serve the residents of the City of Marquette as mayor, especially as the third female to serve in this role. The more time I spend in this role, the more I learn that it’s not necessarily what you know that matters the most. It’s how you treat people, and how you communicate to fellow commissioners, city staff, and the public. It’s how you approach understanding a topic—by being willing to put in the time to read hundreds

of pages or listen to input from the public and use that information to fuel discussion and change. Public service can be a lot of work, but most things worth doing are." Smith was elected in 2019 and has been involved in city government since 2015, serving as city commissioner and

Mayor Smith at Presque Isle Park.

These 4th graders had the best questions. Mostly serious with a few silly ones. Talking with students about local government never gets old! “What’s it like to be the mayor?” “What’s your favorite and least favorite part?” “When can we take our masks off?” “Why can’t we have an indoor trampoline park?” “I want a snake shop downtown” “What’s your term limit?” “Does the city own all of Marquette?”

the vice chair of the Marquette Housing Commission. She is the first woman to serve as mayor of Marquette since 1980. She works as the human resources manager for Marquette Area Public Schools and is a member of Connect Marquette (an organization promoting professional development through events and leadership opportunities). She studied at the University of Michigan and held multiple positions with Michigan Works!, along with the National Wildlife Federation, to name a few.

34 THE REVIEW

JULY / AUGUST 2022