You clearly can’t keep a good woman down, and Susan Solon is the living proof of that. The woman who became synonymous with the St. Joseph Public Art Project, the City of St. Joseph’s Movies in the Park program, the Downtown Development Authority, the city’s bi-monthly newsletter, announced in June of last year that she was retiring. Less than four months later she hired on at Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce as Director of Member Services. Tonight, she launches a campaign to become a City Commissioner for the City of St. Joseph.
Solon made the announcement of her plans on Facebook, just as she did when announcing plans to retire. Here’s what she posted:
“The City of St. Joseph deserves a Commissioner that is exuberant, passionate, and has worked tirelessly on many of the City’s success stories. You deserve someone who’s a vocal supporter of the City, with knowledge of the “inner workings” of city government, and an understanding of how to work best with her colleagues. I’m not a politician and have no agenda. I want our residents to know first and foremost that I love this community and being a civil servant is part of who I am.”
She later shared a press release regarding her intentions, including this information:
“Susan will bring her exuberance and passion for the City to the Commission Chamber, however, this time she will be seated as a Commissioner and not as a staff member. She brings her knowledge of the “inner workings” of city government and her knowledge of colleagues with whom she worked for many years.” She looks forward to her new role — being part of the team responsible for:
- Fiduciary management of taxpayer dollars;
- Maintaining a safe and secure community;
- Total transparency through consistent communication with the public;
- Maintaining a good balance between residents and tourists.
After cashing in her chips at city hall last year after a twenty year career with the City of St. Joseph, it didn’t take her long at all to land at the Cornerstone Chamber where Chris Heugel holds court as President of the organization, a man she knew well for most of her years at the city having been there during his terms as a City Commissioner and working side by side with him for years on the board of directors at St. Joseph Today.
This morning, Solon revealed that she will make an announcement regarding her political campaign at St. Joseph City Hall during the “Public Comments” section at the top of the meeting.
Her press release this morning also included additional background information and public support from several dignitaries in the city:
Susan has served on the Citadel Dance and Music Center board, The Heritage Museum and Cultural Center board, and the Southwest Michigan Women’s Scholarship Program board.
She currently serves on the board of St. Joseph Today and Co-chairs the Community Showcase for the Senior PGA.
Susan received the “Highest Award for Achievement” through the Dale Carnegie Program in 2017.
City resident and past President and Chief Operating Officer of Whirlpool Corporation, Bill Marohn notes, “I have known Susan for 20 years. Her passion and commitment for St. Joseph is unsurpassed. She has my vote!”
Past Commissioner and first female Mayor, Mary Goff, shared, “I do not know anyone more passionate about the City of St. Joseph and its continued success. Without a doubt Susan will work hard to do what is best for our community. I know she will do a great job!”
“Susan has been an integral part of the downtown’s transformation over the past many years, especially with the public art program, so this is perfect timing as the downtown master plan will be completed by the end of this year”, stated city resident Bob Gerbel.
At the time of her retirement last summer, Susan was the Director of Communications and Marketing for the City of St. Joseph, and as such was responsible for creating the city’s newsletter, the annual city calendar, oversight of the city’s website, the annual Public Art project and various other marketing opportunities and events for the city. She had been, by far, one of the most vocal cheerleaders for the city’s success stories and worked around the clock to get her job done.
So far as I can recall, Susan started out as the Administrative Assistant to former City Manager Frank Walsh and continually accepted increasing levels of responsibility and accountability and met each challenge head on and with her typical verve. Her LinkedIn profile says she was named Director of Communications and Marketing in 1998, so she may have held that dual role all along.
At the time of her retirement announcement, chamber boss Heugel who experienced working with Susan as a former City Commissioner as well as his role at St. Joe Today jokingly responded saying, “It’s about darn time,” and then seriously added, “My experience both at city hall and at St. Joe Today with Susan tell me that she will be sorely missed on all fronts. Her energy and enthusiasm are highly contagious, and she is an absolute joy to be around.” He adds, “She poured her heart and soul into every project she undertook and she will be a very difficult person to replace in many, many ways.” Then, a few months later he snapped her up to join his team at the Chamber.
The formal announcement at City Hall takes place at 6pm tonight, Monday, April 8th, 2019.
