Algonac Council takes care of business 12-2-2025

By Barb Pert Templeton

The Dec. 2 meeting of the Algonac City Council lasted just over 33-minutes and included a one-page agenda. Council members Ed Carter and Jacob Skarbek were absent from the recent meeting.

Here are some highlights:

Doan appointed interim city manager

At the recent meeting of the Algonac City Council Algonac Fire Chief Joseph Doan was appointed to serve as the interim city manager following a vote of the council. Mayor Rocky Gillis and members of the council thanked Doan for stepping into the role that was vacated on Nov. 27 by the retirement of Denice Gerstenberg, who served as city manager since 2017. Doan’s appointment was effective Nov. 29 and will continue until a permanent city manager is appointed. As to compensation Doan will receive $430 per week as officials estimate he will work 10 hours per week in the role at a rate of $42.91 per hour.

City manager candidates meeting set

A special meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9 will have members of the Algonac City Council interviewing candidates for city manager in the city chambers at 6 p.m. Councilman Michael Bebmas used his council comments to encourage the public to attend the special meeting. “This is extremely important,” Bembas said. “I promise you I will be 100 percent objective on who we interview.” He went on to state that he wanted to tell people that there is a difference between a whistle blower and a dog whistler. He said the former will step up and tell the truth no matter the feelings that get hurt and the latter comes up with half baked facts and semi truths and does it just to stir things up. “So. let me reassure you that with those half bakes scenarios, we all know better,” Bembas added.

The new park is a county venture

The North Channel County Park, being built on Pointe Tremble Road between the Algonac Harbor Club and the DNR boat launch, is not a city project but rather a county park. It’s been reported that there’s going to be a beach there, Mayor Rocky Gillis said.

“Us local people, we don’t tell the county what to do so if they say there’s going to be a beach I still believe there’s going to be a beach,” Gillis said. Councilman Michael Bembas added that if it turns out that there’s know beach, that’s not the council’s fault. Gillis just wanted to clarify and provide transparency to the public that the project is not a local park it’s a county project.

Social media brings discord

During his council comments Mayor Rocky Gillis said he was recently talking to a city “old timer” about how things have changed so much since social media became the reporting source when in the past it was via a newspaper.

“You didn’t get your news and information from 27 different news reporters that have a web show and so you have all these different spins now,” Gillis said.

He said he’s pleased that the Algonac Community Center will be opening to the public soon because you can see and meet people face to face instead of writing things about people from behind a keyboard.

“The words you type in a box matter,” Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey commented.

“They become keyboard warriors,” Councilman Michael Bembas agreed.

Gillis said it used to be that neighborhoods had the “old mean grandma on the corner” well now that mean grandma has a keyboard and she gets to tell her opinion to the whole world.

“And I’m not talking about any certain people, I’m talking about the world,” Gillis said.

“Bottom line is if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all,” Council member Wendy Meldrum added.

“Breathe in and breathe out and step away from the keyboard,” Davey echoed.

Decorated Golf Cart event approved

The 2nd Annual Golf Cart Parade in Algonac was formerly approved by members of the city council. The event is set for Saturday, Dec. 13 at dusk and the parade goes through the streets of Algonac. “I went last year and it is a fun time,” Mayor Rocky Gillis said. “They’re all singing Christmas carols as it goes through town and it brings a lot of Christmas cheer.”