After over a decade, it was time for George Heartwell to say goodbye to his position as the mayor of Grand Rapids as he had reached the end of the 12-year term limit. Heartwell was the longest-serving Grand Rapids mayor. During his term, he succeeded in moving the city forward with many projects, including his implementation of projects toward energy conservation. He is glad to see Rosalynn Bliss take his place. Her inauguration was on Dec. 17, 2015, and she took over as mayor on the first of this year.

While she is the first woman to act as Grand Rapids’ mayor, Bliss has been a commissioner representing the city’s Second Ward since 2006. She received solid support throughout Grand Rapids as she ran for mayor, with Mayor Heartwell himself endorsing her for the position.

At her campaign party, city commissioners said they expected Bliss to be more focused on local matters rather than bigger political issues, and this would allow commissioners to be more involved in seeing day-to-day actions taken.

Since her induction as mayor, Bliss has been hard at work. On Feb. 2, she had her first State of the City speech at the Harris Building. The speech was also livestreamed so that those who could not attend had the opportunity to watch online. Bliss talked about the improvements she intends to make for Grand Rapids. She wants to move forward with initiatives for more affordable housing in the city. To do that, she recognizes that the city has to evaluate the tools and means they have available. She would like the city to create a new fund with flexible ways to help with down payments and subsidized housing. She also addressed her desire to use grants toward neighborhood improvement projects, such as community gardens and public art.

Bliss also used her speech to lay out ongoing goals, which include improving relations between minorities and police officers, fostering a friendly business climate for small businesses, creating more equity between minority groups, and creating a greener city landscape.

Several other initiatives were outlined in her address, some of which continue with Heartwell’s plan to create an environmentally sustainable city. For example, she would like to move forward with river restoration, eventually having all the city’s energy come from renewable sources, increasing recycling participation, and paving more bike lanes. Her State of the City address outlined these and several other long-term goals she would like the city of Grand Rapids to achieve.

Following the State of the City address, Bliss plans to hold neighborhood meetings on Feb. 8-11, wanting to hear from residents and answer any questions they may have regarding the address, providing a space for residents to feel better connected.

Following this, Bliss plans to hold a Neighborhood Summit in March to continue these dialogues between leadership and neighborhoods.