Tuesday was Bill Vajda's first official day in his position as the new Marquette City Manager.
MARQUETTE -- Tuesday was Bill Vajda's first official day in his position as the new Marquette city manager, and he met with employees Tuesday morning to introduce himself.
"Once Marquette is in you, it never leaves you," says Vajda, which is exactly why he chose to come back to his hometown of Marquette to be the new city manager.
City commissioners say they are looking to Vajda to bring a different sense of perspective to the city.
Commissioner Fred Stonehouse says, "Marquette, as a city, as a community, is doing very well; we don't need somebody to fix the problem. What Bill is going to be able to do, again, is to really focus our vision, to lead the community, to lead the city into the 21st century."
Vajda says his parents instilled the values of public service in him, values that brought him to the city manager position today.
"They inspired in us a deep appreciation for the value of local government in everyday life," Vajda says.
Vajda, who is coming back to the U.P. from Maryland, has worked for federal, state, and local governments over the past 30 years.
Vajda says when it comes to big issues in the city of Marquette, like the development of Founder's Landing or the extension of McClellan Avenue, he plans to focus on the community and encourage the people to get involved.
"That we try as hard as we can to make sure that all the issues that people are concerned about are on the table, so that when we finally do, ultimately, have to make a decision, irrespective of what the outcome might be, that everybody feels that they've had a chance to share their views, and that their voice has been heard," Vajda stated.
Vajda also says he'll draw from past experiences to help prepare Marquette to compete with the rest of the world.
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