Wayne County Council member Tony Gillam stunned his colleagues during their Nov. 6 meeting by announcing he must resign from the District 4 seat he’s occupied for two decades.
Gillam had been shopping for a new home and the one he found — one he said he’s loved since it was built in the early 2000s — is outside District 4. Gillam said he needed to take advantage of that opportunity.
“It’s been a real privilege to serve the citizens of Center Township and western Richmond and all the folks in Wayne County,” Gillam said.
Gillam was appointed during 2004 to represent District 4 and was reelected five times, the last in 2022.
“I’ve certainly enjoyed working with everyone, and it’s a little bit sad to be doing this after nearly 20 years,” Gillam said.
He kept the news secret until springing his announcement on council members, county commissioners and other county staff in attendance, preferring to tell them all at the same time. Council members showed their surprise.
“You will be greatly missed,” Council member Max Smith said.
Beth Leisure, the council president, added: “That’s sad news for council and for the county.”
Gillam, who is a senior manager at Burke CPAs & Advisors, chairs council’s finance committee and guides council’s budget work each year.
“I’m trying to figure out how we can find money to contract him to come back at budget time,” council member Barry Ritter said to laughter.
Gillam said he will provide a resignation letter to county Republican Party chair Gary Saunders and the county clerk’s office within the next two months. The Republican Party will then conduct a caucus to appoint his replacement.
Project funding
Matthew Cain, director of the county’s emergency management agency and emergency communication center, approached council about two projects originally presented during 2025 budget discussions.
Cain requested an update to the 911 system’s call delivery software to align with updated computer-aided dispatch systems and replacement uninterruptible power supply batteries to provide continuous power during an outage until the backup generator provides power. The software costs $148,972.66 and the batteries $5,280.80.
Council member Barry Ritter said the new software would create a seamless workflow for the 911 communication specialists.
Council approved the $154,241.46 total from its one-time expenses fund’s $675,482 balance rather than push the purchases to 2025.
Longevity pay
Council approved an ordinance that will permit a 2025 longevity stipend for long-term county employees.
The ordinance does not obligate the county to any longevity payments beyond 2025. The ordinance needed approval prior to finalization of the 2025 salary ordinance.
IV-D court
Lonnie McClintock, the prosecutor in the county’s IV-D court for child support cases, approached council about using IV-D funds to hire a part-time deputy prosecutor for 2025.
McClintock said having another prosecutor would reduce his court load and enable him to spend more time using remaining IV-D funds to help people. It would also ensure an attorney is always in the office.
Council supported the hire on a one-year trial basis.
A version of this article appeared in the November 13 2024 print edition of the Western Wayne News.