Eric Bartkus Lowell City Council

I look forward to enrolling in the Elected Officials Academy (EOA) to learn how to represent our citizens well. The EOA is offered through the Michigan Municipal League MML. From the MML website, it is the “premier statewide association representing more than 500 full-service cities, villages, and urban townships. Our members expect us to educate, advocate, and inspire their work as public servants building community wealth for their residents and stakeholders. We accomplish this by providing unmatched services in everything from professional development to executive recruitment to insurance and risk mitigation.”

The EOA provides courses, conferences, service on committees, and training on advocating for the needs of Lowell. There are four levels of training, and our Mayor Mike DeVore has completed the Level 2 Leadership Award. Council member Marty Chambers has completed the Level 1 Education Award. Both awards required many hours of conferences and online learning (unpaid). Mayor Mike told me that the Level 2 award took him four years of effort. We are fortunate to have such motivated leaders for our city. I promise to follow their lead and complete the Level 1 training in 2 years so that I can better represent you. Thank you, Eric B