Gross moving out of first ward

While the moving process is always a mixture of happiness and stress, the latest one for Councilmember Randy Gross will be a particularly bittersweet occasion.

Gross announced on Monday that he is resigning from the Dowagiac City Council, as he is moving out of the city’s first ward which he currently represents. He will stay on with the seven-member board until his replacement is found, he said.

“It is with regret that I must submit this letter of resignation from my position as Ward 1 Councilman for the City of Dowagiac,” Gross said in his letter of resignation. “After 26 years of ownership, my wife and I have sold our residence in Ward 1, and although we are purchasing another home in Dowagiac, we will no longer reside within Ward 1 after the sale.”

Gross, the technology director with Dowagiac Union Schools, has been serving on the council since 2012. He represented the ward alongside Lori Hunt.

In his letter to the council, Gross thanked his fellow leaders and staff at city hall for their support over the
last few years.

“During my time on the council it has been clear that the council, along with our city officials, only want what is best for our constituents and to make our community the best it can be,” he said. “I thank all of you for your service to the Grand Old City of Dowagiac and your embracement of me as a councilman.”

“I’m glad to have you as a neighbor, but I’d hate to lose you off the council,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Leon Laylin. “You’ve been excellent council person in my book. We’re going to try and keep you involved in city politics one way or another.”

In response to his departure, the city will create a three-person ad-hoc committee that will select a suitable replacement for the position and present it for approval before the rest council. Mayor Don Lyons selected Gross, Laylin and James Dodd to serve on this committee.

Lyons said that he would like to have a recommendation before the council when they reconvene on Jan. 12, he said.

Candidates from the first ward interested in applying for the position are encouraged to pick up an application from city hall.