Ortonville- In a spontaneous move, Coleen Skornicka was appointed as a village councilmember Monday night.
Skornicka told Councilman Dan Eschmann on Monday she was interested in the position that was vacated by Mary Kassuba on Oct. 5. Eschmann told her to come to the village meeting that was starting in about 30 minutes.
At the meeting, Skornicka stood up and introduced herself and asked to be appointed. By a 4-2 vote, she was accepted. Council President Ken Quisenberry and Councilmember Melanie Nivelt voted no.
‘I went in with no expectation, and I’m excited to be here,? said Skornicka. ‘I wanted to be on the council because it is a totally different avenue from where I’ve been and an opportunity to serve in local government.?
Skornicka, a 17-year village resident, previously worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in the federal business division, performing data analysis. She is currently interested in pursuing her own property management business.
Skornicka is a member of St. Anne Catholic Church and serves on the pastoral council. She is a mission coordinator and is also a volunteer for the Ortonville Community Emergency Fund.
With her service as a village council member, she will fulfill a desire to give back more to the community. Skornicka said she hopes to resolve issues regarding the Village Skate Park so it can be enjoyed, and would also like to see more landscaping of the village, with the cleanup of overgrown bushes and trees.
‘One full-time DPW employee is not enough,? said Skornicka. ‘I know it costs money, but we need to examine expanding the DPW within reason. One full-time and one part-time person cannot do it all, you’d spend all your time trimming trees.?
Sewers are another issue Skornicka would like to be reexamined.
‘So much time has been spent discussing the issue, but there is no resolution,? she noted. ‘I would like to see the sewers go through.?
Skornicka has been married to Tom for 23 years and they have two children, Ashlyn, a sophomore at Grand Valley State University and Thomas, a sophomore at Brandon High School.