City Council
Government
Latest Notices
Meetings
Meetings take place on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall, 200 S. Main St.
Description
The City of Eaton Rapids has a Council that is made up of five individuals. The Council shall constitute the legislative and governing body of the City and shall have powers and authority, except as otherwise provided in the Charter or Statute, to exercise all powers conferred upon or possessed by the City, and shall have the power and authority to adopt such laws, ordinances, and resolutions as it shall deem proper in the exercise thereof.
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Council Members
Pam Colestock
Deb Malewski
Precinct 1
Deb Malewski was elected in November 2023 as the Precinct 1 representative.
Originally from Howell, Deb graduated from MSU with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She moved to Eaton Rapids when she was hired as the director of the Youth Advocate Program of Eaton Rapids (YAPER), a youth employment and recreation program. Later she worked at Camp Highfields in Onondaga as a Youth Specialist.
Ken Nicholas
Precinct 2
Precinct 2 is the Northwest side of the City.
Ken was born and raised in Eaton Rapids and graduated from Eaton Rapids Public Schools. He is married to Marsha Nicholas and has two daughters, Bethany Latham and Caryn Hatler.
Ken is currently employed with Meridian Magnesium where he has worked for the past 17 years. Prior to working for Meridian Magnesium, Ken has worked within the community for ACO Hardware, Pettit Hardware, and Rapids Lumber.
Currently, Ken serves on the Board of Directors of Oldsmobile Club of American, is the President for the Eaton Rapids Historical Society and is the Past President of R.E. Olds Chapter.
William Steele
Mayor Pro-Tem
Precinct 3
Precinct 3 is the East side of the City.
Bill was born in Eaton Rapids in 1949. One of six children, he attended the public school system in Eaton Rapids, graduating in 1967. He married Betty the same year and they had two sons: Louis & Becky, of Mary Ester, Florida, and William Jr. & Pam, of Eaton Rapids. The Steele’s have five grandchildren and two great- grandchildren.
Bill was hired at Oldsmobile in Lansing in 1968. While employed for General Motors he earned “Certified Quality Technician” status through the American Society of Quality Control. As a result, he was hired as an Adjunct Faculty/part time instructor at Lansing Community College in the Dept. of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, teaching basic Quality Control courses on and off campus. This led to the development of a Statistical Process Control (SPC) training program for production assembly employees at Lansing Car Assembly.
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Rick Loftus
As At-Large Councilman, Rick Loftus represents the interests of the entire Eaton Rapids community.
Prior to joining the City Council in 2024, Rick served four years on the City of Eaton Rapids Planning Commission, two of those years as Secretary. Rick has lived in several Midwest states, New York City, and Ireland. He moved to Michigan in 1995, happily finding his way to Eaton Rapids in 2017. Rick graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with degrees in English literature and history. He then spent time as a reporter in New York before switching to a career in Information Technology, working mostly in the financial industry. Arriving in Michigan, he began a 16-year career at Delta Dental. He retired as project manager in 2012.
Volunteering has been a rewarding part of Rick’s journey. He has taught adult literacy, and for 10 years before retirement he spent each July in South Africa and Rwanda teaching rural high school students. After moving to Eaton Rapids, Rick wrote and published four books. He continues to write and finds Eaton Rapids the perfect place to enjoy the wooden boats he has made. Rick is honored to serve the City of Eaton Rapids, looking to preserve its remarkable past while anticipating and preparing for a future of great promise.
