By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
WKTV Managing Editor
joanne@wktv.org
Public administration was never a calling for Curtis Holt. In fact, when he entered Grand Valley State University in the 1980s, his goal was to become a certified public accountant.
“I got through my sophomore year and I thought, ‘Geez, I am not sure I want to do this anymore,” he said. “I took another semester and I thought I am pretty sure I don’t want to do this. So I kind of said I have a four-year scholarship [for football and wrestling] and I need to get out of school in four years. What fits all my classes?
“It was public administration.”
After being in public administration for 36 years, 26 in the City of Wyoming, Holt is retiring as Wyoming’s city manager on Feb. 16. The announcement of Holt’s retirement was made in October with the city currently conducting a search for his replacement. Current Deputy City Manager John McCarter will serve as acting/interim city manager until a city manager is appointed.
At Monday night’s council meeting, Holt was recognized by state and local leaders for his dedication and service to the City of Wyoming.
“Curtis is the only city manager I have ever known,” said Mayor Kent Vanderwood, who presented Holt with a watch as well reading a city proclamation thanking Holt for his years of service. “He is the only one I have ever worked under and he has taught me a lot in those 17 years, everything you need to know about city government and some.”
To watch the Feb. 6 Wyoming City Council meeting where the city honors Curtis Holt, click here.
Vanderwood noted that Holt has worked on numerous local, state and national boards. He was instrumental in helping the city construct its current city buildings, the city hall, public safety department and the 62-B District Court and for the sale of Site 36, where the former GM plant once was located. Holt also was a leader in consolidating area dispatches into the Kent County Dispatch Authority Board.
”I’ve had the privilege to work with City Manager Holt for the past 16 years, and he has always been an advocate for the City of Wyoming and our staff,” said former Mayor Pro Ten and city councilor Sam Bolt when Holt announced his retirement in October. “He is one of the hardest-working people I know and his commitment to our city and our residents is reflected in the caliber and consistency of his leadership.”
The trail to Wyoming
Holt hails from another West Michigan community, Spring Lake, and that is where he would start his public administration career, as an intern, working for a man who would become his mentor, then Spring Lake Village Manager Eric DeLong, who recently retired as deputy city manager for the City of Grand Rapids.
“Eric taught me a ton and he put me on a bunch of projects and it kind of became fun,” Holt said. “The variety over accounting is what really attracted me [to public administration]. Sure there was accounting, but there was personnel and projects, and engineering and everything else. You kind of get a taste of so many different things and become an expert in none of them but you get to be a part of so much and that is what has been fun.”
After graduating from GVSU in 1985, Holt continued at Spring Lake with a two-year internship along with coaching football and wrestling and taking classes for his master’s degree. In 1987, he earned that master’s and landed his first job as assistant city manager at Cedar Springs. Two years later, he became the city manager of the City of Ostego.
“Within the city manager field, you’ve got to move up if you are going to be successful,” Curtis said. He interviewed for Wyoming’s deputy city manager position on a Wednesday and the next day, he interviewed for the city manager position in St. Joseph. Expecting a call back from St. Joseph on Friday, he instead received a call from then Wyoming City Manager Don Mason.
Friends and peers pointed out that the Grand Rapids area was a good opportunity because there were a lot of communities that were working and growing together. This meant that there would be lots of opportunities for partnerships and working together on issues in Lansing. So before St. Joseph could call back, Curtis decided to take the position in Wyoming.
Wyoming became home
“It became home,” Curtis said. “My kids went to [Wyoming] Rogers [now the Wyoming High School,] my wife worked at Rodgers. We’ve had really good councils. Councils that were very supportive of the staff and what we did. The staff itself, great staff members, really good people.”
Holt leaves a mark not only on the City of Wyoming, but the community in general, noted State Rep. John Fitzgerald, who served on the city council for two years. During his state proclamation presentation to Holt at the Monday night meeting, Fitzgerald said along with the city facilities, Holt had overseen three master plans including the current “Re-Imagine” plan and improved the financial standing of the city.
“The biggest struggle I have had over the years is money,” Holt said. “Funding cities is a difficult business today— especially to adequately fund the services residents need.
“If you compare the City of Wyoming to virtually any other city in the state of Michigan, you will find that we are one of the leanest city’s out there, which is great because it means that we have been very judicious in people and things.”
Achieving that has not been an easy feat since the State of Michigan funds its cities at one of the lowest levels and is one of the strictest on its property taxes. This provides little options for cities to generate revenue, Holt said, adding while other states allow for local taxes or impact fees, Michigan cities can only raise money through property or income taxes.
There’s no ‘I’ in ‘we’
Still, the City of Wyoming has been able to provide many services other cities do not such as snowplowing the sidewalks, taking care of water lines including lines from the home to the main line, and even clearing debris for residents after the 2016 tornado.
“I say ‘we’ because this is not a Curtis idea but that it is something that staff has said is the right thing for the community because they are good people,” he said.
Proudest achievement: “The sexy thing would be to say we built these billings, but I don’t think that,” Holt said. “What I am most proud of is that we haven’t kicked any cans down the road for our future residents to pay for.”
This is because city staff has done its “due diligence” in maintenance and asset management, taking care of its roads, water, sewer, and city buildings and paying on its debts, he said
Time for the next level
Holt admits that there are other projects he would like to work on and see to completion, but he recognizes that now is a good time for him to retire. There are family things, a first granddaughter to be specific, and just wanting to do some adventuring, play golf and fish.
But mostly, he sees the city is going through a change. There is a new mayor and three new council members and the next generation has stepped into many of the city’s leadership roles, allowing him to leave the city in good hands.
“I know this that the people who are working here are 100 percent capable, 110 percent capable of taking this city, what we do and how we do it to the next level and you can trust them,” he said during Monday’ nigh’s meeting. “You can support them and you know that the first thing they believe in is it is about ‘we,’ not about me and that really is the way I have always lived my life.
“I believe that is the way that this city will go and that the ‘we’ will win and the ‘we’ will be better every single day.”
