What’s happening: Port Huron City Manager James Freed was recognized by his peers earlier this week, receiving the 2022 Community Leadership Award from the Michigan Municipal Executive Association (MME). The MME serves as the statewide association for city, village, and county managers.
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Port Huron City Manager James FreedWhy it happened: The Community Leadership Award “recognizes MME professionals that have helped guide their community through a significant event that resulted in a favorable outcome.” In order to qualify under the MME guidelines, the event in question affects the majority of citizens and its solution offers clear benefits. Freed checks all the boxes thanks to his work overhauling the city’s finances, finding ways to save the city more than $88 million that it was on the hook for but didn’t have, achieved largely by reforming and restructuring the city’s Unfunded Liabilities (ULs) and Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEBs).
Why it’s important: Freed’s work is credited with helping the city avoid reduced city services, pay freezes, and other uncertainties, including potential bankruptcy and being placed under an Emergency Manager by the state.
Big support: Lake Isabella Village Manager Tim Wolf nominated Freed for the award, his nomination letter receiving co-signs from some of the region’s most prominent leaders. It’s a group that includes Pauline Repp, Mayor, City of Port Huron; Jeff Bohm, Chairman, St. Clair County Board of Commissioners; Thelma Castillo, President & CEO, Blue Water Area Chamber; and more than a dozen other local stakeholders.
Acceptance speech: “I am deeply humbled by the recognition of my professional peers. However, this is an award for the entire Port Huron community. We simply could not have made the achievements we have made without the strong and steady leadership of Mayor Repp and the City Council,” says Freed.
“Their leadership, coupled with the sacrifices of our employees and the understanding of an engaged community about complex issues, made Port Huron a state leader. This award is not about me, but more a reflection on our community as a whole to come together and tackle generational problems.
“The lessons learned, tools gained, and relationships built addressing our financial challenges must now be pivoted to addressing our other generational challenges such as workforce housing, childcare shortages, neighborhood revitalization and economic development.”
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