Warren City Council's top posts will be filled by women

The Warren City Council selected its leaders at its Tuesday evening meeting, and both president and vice president roles will be filled by women.

The council voted unanimously to designate at-large council member Angela Rogensues its president, District 1 council member Melody Magee its vice president, District 3 councilwoman Mindy Moore its secretary and at-large councilman Dave Dwyer its assistant secretary.

The vote came at the start of the new council’s first regular meeting. The council members were elected in the Nov. 7 election, which also put state Rep. Lori Stone in the mayor’s office. She is the first woman to hold the city’s top job.

Moore, who will now serve a second term as secretary, initially made the motion Tuesday evening to designate the four council members in those leadership roles, but she then realized she couldn’t make the motion. Rogensues then made the motion, which was seconded by councilman Jonathan Lafferty.

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The council held a committee of the whole Monday evening, in which Rogensues announced her interest in serving as president. She passed around her 120-day plan for the council and shared her background.

Rogensues, who is in her second term on the council, has been working professionally for about 20 years, mostly in nonprofit organizations. She currently runs a small business.

“We have a new administration, a number of new colleagues here, some returning colleagues, and a tremendous opportunity to see the city work in lockstep to move us forward,” Rogensues said at the committee meeting.

City Councilman Jonathan Lafferty said he had been interested in serving as council president, but that after giving "considerable thought" to the matter and talking with Rogensues, he decided to support her for president.   

Rogensues and Stone, the now mayor, held an election night party together on Nov. 7, along with Macomb County Commissioner Mai Xiong, who lost the city clerk's race to incumbent Sonja Buffa.

Rogensues, along with each of the other incumbent council members running for re-election, wasn’t endorsed by former Mayor Jim Fouts.

Fouts and the last council had a divisive relationship.

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Magee, the new vice president, is a small business owner in the area of human resources. She has lived in Warren since 2000, and she is the city’s first council member of color.

Moore, the secretary, is a court reporter, and Dwyer, the assistant secretary, is an Oakland County sheriff's deputy.

Councilmember Henry Newnan, who is a retired graphic designer, also expressed interest in the position of assistant secretary during the committee of the whole, but he wasn’t part of the motion Tuesday night for the leadership positions.

Xiong is now running for Stone's vacant seat in the Michigan House of Representatives.

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