After taking his familiar seat next to the mayor at the bench located at the front of the chamber following the pledge of allegiance, James Snow began the usual roll call that occurs at the start of every meeting of the Dowagiac City Council.

It was the last time that the retiring city clerk had to fulfill that obligation, after 30 years of service to the council, the city, and the people he was elected to serve.

The council honored the outgoing public official during their meeting Monday evening, issuing a public proclamation in honor of his three decades as the head of the city clerk’s office. Snow announced his retirement from city hall last week, with his last day to take place on Friday.

The proclamation, which was read and issued by Mayor Don Lyons, read as follows:

WHEREAS, over the past three decades, the City of Dowagiac has experienced a tremendous amount of change and redevelopment; and

WHEREAS, in the midst of many changes that have occurred over the past three decades, one constant, James E. Snow serving as the City of Dowagiac city clerk, has remained in place; and

WHEREAS, over the past 30 plus years, Mr. Snow has grown to be the face of the City of Dowagiac, because he took the time to communicate with anyone who came to city hall with a question or concern; and

WHEREAS, during Mr. Snow’s tenure as Dowagiac city clerk, he has served the profession in a variety of different roles, including as president of the Michigan Municipal Clerk’s Association and as a member of the International Municipal Clerk’s Organization Advisory; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Snow’s service and leadership to community organizations and regional planning agencies are too numerous to list; and

WHEREAS, through his service to the community, James E. Snow has earned the title “Mr. Dowagiac;”

NOW THEREFORE, be it proclaimed that I, Donald D. Lyons, mayor of the City of Dowagiac, tender this proclamation to Mr. Dowagiac, James E. Snow, for over 30 years of continuous service as city clerk.

Lyons has worked alongside Snow since he was first elected over 20 years.

“[Snow] has been a fixture of this community for more than a generation,” Lyons said. “He certainly got me off to the right foot.”

Later that evening, Lyons nominated a four-person subcommittee to determine Snow’s replacement, who will serve until the end of his elected term in November. The mayor selected Mayor Pro Tem Leon Laylin, City Treasurer Robin Coffey and Councilmembers Charles Burling and James Dodd to serve on the committee.

According to a press release from the city, potential applicants for the opening can pick up applications from the treasurer’s office at city hall, and are due by Feb. 26. The subcommittee will interview all applicants and submit their recommendation to the rest of council on March 9.