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This past fall, Westland Mayor William R. Wild announced his intention to step down as mayor and will assume a new role as president and CEO of the Midwest Independent Retailers Association. The new role will enable him to spend more time with his wife and family as well.Wild will deliver his final State of the City Address on Thursday, January 12 and his last official duty will be to host the city's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Ceremony at Westland City Hall on January 16.

Wild was first appointed mayor in 2007 and has consistently proven his ability to lead, providing enhanced city services, safer neighborhoods, and a re-

vived business district. In 2021, Wild was overwhelmingly reelected to a fourth term. He first entered the political scene in 1999 when, as a business owner, his name was put forward to serve on the Westland Planning Commission. Wild later served on the Westland City Council from 2001 to 2007.

"I've always been an entrepreneur so I've always tried to bring business-friendly ideas to the city and we've built city hall around customer service. Being a business owner has probably helped me more than anything else with running the city for the last 16 years," he says.

As Westland's longest-serving mayor, Wild says he has seen the city, along with many of its metro-Detroit neighbors grow and expand amenities such as recreational programs, arts, parks, libraries, and downtown development. In addition, he says, when cities such as Westland continue to invest in services such as public safety, infrastructure, and affordable housing, it creates a community where people want to live and work.

Under Wild's leadership, the city of Westland expanded economic development and employment opportunities with the addition of U.S. Farathane, a manufacturer of engineered plastic injection-molded components, the U.S. Ice headquarters and manufacturing facility, and the Garden City Hospital Community Health Center. Both the U.S. Ice and Garden City Hospital developments repurposed existing facilities, minimizing the cost of construction. "They've been a nice addition to the city. Converting a commercial center into the Garden City Hospital Community Health Center now offers the city of Westland a 24-hour emergency room. We're pretty proud of all those investments," says Wild. All have provided good-paying jobs apart from the many retail jobs available in the city.

At the upcoming State of the City Address to be held on January 12, Wild says residents can expect more of a casual event, along with a look back at some of the major accomplishments the city has seen over the past 16 years. "We're also going to tee up some of the existing projects that residents can expect to see come to fruition over the next year or two. I expect it'll be informative but it's going to be pretty light-hearted and I'm looking forward to having an enjoyable night that night," he says.

Westland Mayor William Wild will step down from his leadership position later this month. Here, he poses with Westland Library Director Jennifer Roth at last year's State of the City Address at City Hall.

Looking back on the experience, Wild says, "It has been the honor of my lifetime has been to be the mayor of my hometown and to see the city I grew up in change and make progress. I've had the chance to do so many things and meet so many people and to represent the city. It's been an honor and it's certainly something that has changed my life," he says. "During my tenure, we've been called upon to lead our city through the recession and at one time we had 40 percent of our homes vacant because of foreclosure, yet we worked through that and came out stronger. Our most recent challenge was bringing our city through the pandemic and with the great leadership of our police and fire departments, our city came through the pandemic as well. I think the experience of leading people through challenging times probably made me a better person in the long run. Being mayor of your hometown is the best job there is."