EATON RAPIDS, Mich. — Eaton Rapids has a new city manager. Susan Montenegro steps into the role on Jan. 17.
"I'm very encouraged and excited about what the future holds for all of us," Montenegro said.
Montenegro has lived in Michigan all her life and grew up on the west side of the state in a little town called Stanwood.
She’s been in local government since 2013 and has been the city manager in Lesliefor almost four years. She decided to get into local government after an internship in college.
Montenegro said her immediate goal is to get to know the Eaton Rapids community.
“It’s very important for me to have that relational commitment in a community where I serve. And I want to be able to get to know the community, the business owners, staff definitely, council members and kind of understand what their goals are for the community,” she said.
As for long term goals, she wants to continue working on road projects and the wastewater treatment plant.
“There are some upgrades that need to be made there. Making sure that those are completed, that any funding that is needed for that is sought out and that those things are accomplished,” Montenegro said.
Eaton Rapids City Councilman William Steele said Montenegro's professionalism and willingness to interact with the community stands out to him.
“Her experience in city manager realm. We think it would be a good fit for Eaton Rapids because of the experience she has in other communities and her leadership skills. She’s got some contract negotiation skills that we will need,” he said.
Montenegro’s contract in Eaton Rapids runs for seven years.
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