By Susan Bromley

Staff Writer

Ortonville-Mike Lee, recently retired from active duty military, is ready to take on a new challenge— overseeing the village.

The DeWitt resident was unanimously approved by the council earlier this month as the new village manager. He will be formally introduced to the community at the next village council meeting, set for 7 p.m., May 23 at the township offices, 395 Mill St.

“I’m excited to be here,” said Lee. “People here are proud of their community and the expectation is that someone will manage their community effectively. John did a great job and I want to keep that going.”

After nearly five years as village manager, John Lyons announced in March he would be retiring effective May 26.

The council had 20 applicants for the position and interviewed six, with Council President Wayne Wills saying Lee “percolated to the top because of his organizational skills.”

“He has handled lots of difficult situations stateside and in Afghanistan and he is not your typical military commander— he is soft-spoken and handles people very well,” said Wills.

“He will be a good representative to meet with the public and other government officials. I think he’s going to be a quick learner.”

Lee retired in February as a colonel in the Michigan Army National Guard. He has 33 total years of military service, 22 of those years active duty and believes the skills he has will transfer well to his new position.

“They are both government systems and there are a lot of similarities,” said Lee, who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010-11 and also served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. “I’ve performed in situations of differing complexities, and I’m used to handling different tasks at the same time.”

Lee plans to focus on finding ways to maintain essentials and non-essentials within budget parameters. He believes in the importance of strategic and long-range planning and is looking forward to hearing from residents what they expect to see in their village.

A native of Negaunee in the Upper Peninsula, he is comfortable with small town culture and likes the dynamic and character of a small town.

Lee holds two master’s degrees, one in public administration from Northern Michigan University, and the other in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa. He also has a bachelor’s degree from NMU in criminal justice.

Lee is married to Tracy for the past 21 years and they have two children, son Henry, a junior at Grand Valley State University, and daughter Jordan, a sophomore at Ferris State University.