Mike Nowak

ALPENA — Councilman Mike Nowak said it has been a privilege to serve on the Alpena Municipal Council for the last 12 years and help shape the future of the city.

Nowak, who didn’t seek reelection in November, attended his last council meeting as a member of the board on Dec. 16 and will now use the extra time to travel and spend time with his family.

Nowak said when he was first elected, his initial goal was to connect with residents and collect information pertaining to their wants and needs. He started his Councilman at Your Call platform, where he interacted with constituents at meet and greets.

Nowak said he learned a lot from those events about what people wanted the local government to address. He added it also provided him a means to update residents on city business and issues.

“They really gave me a guideline from the people in which to work,” Nowak said. “It was huge and it helped us transition from a council that didn’t connect much with the public to one that did.”

Over the years, Nowak has voted on some controversial issues. He said he voted only after researching and learning about the matters and getting the thoughts and opinions of residents.

Overall, Nowak said, he believes he did a good job and with the help of the other council members and staff, he believes the city is on more stable ground than before, especially financially.

“In my opinion, the city is doing great and is financially healthy,” he said. “It has an amazing staff and a great future.”

Nowak said he is proud of the role he played on the Target Alpena Committee in helping to spur growth in the area. He said many new businesses opened while he was in office and many projects completed. His biggest regret, he said, is not being able to help put an end to the ongoing litigation between the City and Alpena Township over water and sewer rates.

Nowak said there has been some recent good news, but there is more work to be done to put the matter to bed for both municipalities.

“Obviously there is still work to do before we get there,” he said. “But, that will be up to the new council to address.”

Nowak said he has been approached by people asking him if he was done with politics or if he has an interest in running for another office. He said right now, that is not in the cards.

“I have no interest in running for commissioner or for a state seat,” he said. “I have no interest in that.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.