Jan Haggerty presents the “You’ve got Made a Distinction” Award to Jay Christopher Burns in the course of the 2023 Salute to Excellence.
Photograph courtesy of Linda Weishaupt
ROSEVILLE – A just lately deceased Roseville metropolis council member is being remembered as a passionate particular person for the town and a detailed good friend and confidante.
Jan Haggerty, a former Roseville council member, died earlier this month. She was 82.
“She cherished the town of Roseville,” Mayor Robert Taylor stated.
Taylor stated Haggerty had been concerned with a number of organizations within the metropolis, together with the Optimist Membership, the Beautification Fee and the Roseville Historic & Genealogical Society. She lived in Roseville all her life and labored as a paralegal, in accordance with her biography on the town’s net web page. She was first elected to the municipal council in 2006.
“She was simply right down to earth and an excellent particular person,” Taylor stated. “She did not have a imply bone in her physique.”
Taylor stated she had been sick for a few 12 months. Despite the fact that she watched metropolis council conferences from residence, he stated she was continuously asking for updates.
“I saved in contact along with her virtually each assembly, simply to maintain her knowledgeable in case there have been any questions she had. Her enter was simply the very best. She at all times had frequent sense, which actually helped inform lots of our decision-making,” he stated.
Taylor stated Haggerty will likely be tough to switch on the council.
“She simply wished to be part of Roseville as a lot as attainable,” he stated. “It is only a disgrace. It breaks my coronary heart. Will probably be a tough void to fill, that is for certain. However she would need us to proceed to do the best issues for the individuals of Roseville.”
Councilman Steven Wietecha, who served on the Metropolis Council with Haggerty and labored along with her quite a few instances by means of the Eastside Neighborhood Chamber, stated she was at all times somebody he might discuss to.
“She was nice. She at all times spoke out for the general public. She was at all times somebody you can discuss to about something, and the general public might at all times name her,” he stated.
Wietecha stated Haggerty’s passing is a horrible loss for the town.
“I will miss her terribly,” he stated. “She obtained concerned in the whole lot, and it was at all times the whole lot for the town of Roseville.”
An Oct. 20 put up on the chamber’s Fb web page praised Haggerty’s contributions to the group and the neighborhood.
“Jan was way more than a board member – she was a pricey good friend, a trusted confidant, a clever mentor and a selfless volunteer,” the put up stated. “Her many years of public service have been marked by an unwavering dedication to bettering the lives of others.”
In a ready assertion, Roseville Metropolis Supervisor Ryan Monroe stated Haggerty will likely be missed by the council, metropolis workers and residents.
“She was really a beautiful one who took delight in serving our residents faithfully,” he stated.
Haggerty filed for re-election to the Metropolis Council and can nonetheless seem on the Nov. 4 poll. Nevertheless, beneath Michigan election legislation, votes forged for a deceased candidate are thought-about invalid and never counted.
In an e-mail, Tim Tomlinson, Roseville’s metropolis lawyer, stated the town constitution — which was adopted in 1958 — doesn’t handle the impact of a emptiness on how votes are counted within the occasion of a loss of life previous to the election.
“Throughout conversations with the County Clerk’s workplace, we discovered a statute in Michigan that prohibits counting votes for a deceased one who remains to be on the poll,” he stated. “As such, any constitution provision that conflicts with the legislation is excluded.”
This implies, Tomlinson stated, that any votes forged for Haggerty won’t rely.
“The same incident occurred in St. Clair Shores in 2015, I consider, and it was confirmed that the votes for the deceased weren’t being counted,” he stated.
A memorial service for Haggerty is deliberate for Nov. 19 from 5 to 7 p.m. on the Recreation Authority of Roseville and Eastpointe, 18185 Sycamore St. in Roseville.
