By Matt Mackinder
Clarkston News Editor

CLARKSTON — While much of the spotlight at the Nov. 13 Clarkston City Council meeting was on Sue Wylie being voted unanimously to the position of mayor, councilmember Laura Rodgers was also voted mayor pro tem, also by a unanimous vote.
Rodgers, who has been on council since 2021 and was reelected Nov. 7, replaces Wylie as mayor pro tem.
“I am honored to have been asked to sit as the mayor pro tem on the City of the Village of Clarkston’s City Council for the coming year,” Rodgers said. “My goals for the next year are much the same as they were for running for a city council seat in the most recent election. I’d like to work, alongside Sue Wylie, in uniting our citizens, businesses and city government to work in harmony.
“I think that we can help the city continue to evolve while also maintaining the character and the values that have come to define us.”
Pro tem is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase pro tempore, which means “for the time being” or “temporary.”
According to amlegal.com, the mayor pro tem shall act as mayor during the absence or disability of the mayor and shall have power to perform every act the mayor could perform if present. If the mayor and the mayor pro tem are absent from a meeting, the city council shall elect an attending member to preside over the meeting.
For Wylie, who was absent from the Nov. 13 and Nov. 27 meetings on a pre-planned vacation, she said she is ready to take the reins from Eric Haven, who stepped down on Oct. 16 citing issues with council.
“I am very excited and a little nervous to be elected mayor,” Wylie said. “I am honored to be selected unanimously by council. I appreciate the faith the council has placed in me. I especially appreciate the support I received from many community members who communicated with me and the council members
“My goals continue to be to have a nice city. We on council and the city staff must protect the safety of residents and visitors, improve the city’s financial health, fulfill the city’s obligation to transparency, and protect Clarkston’s historical structures.”
At the Dec. 11 council meeting, Peg Roth was voted to take Wylie’s council seat, serving a term that goes until the Nov. 2024 election. Lisa Patercsak was voted to a seat on the Historic District Commission, replacing former chairperson Jim Meloche, who stepped down recently due to health issues. Rob Hauxwell was voted in as chairperson at the Nov. 14 Historic District Commission meeting.

FILE PHOTO: Matt Mackinder