Stack, Malek not running for village council positions

A pair of familiar faces on the Wolverine Lake Village Council opted not to run for another term in November.

Councilman Mike Stack has decided that six years at the council table is enough. He is ready to pass the torch onto someone else to make a difference on the village’s governing body.

“I believe in the spirit of rotation,” Stack said. “I’ve had a good run and its time to call it quits. My business travel will be picking up, so it’s also a matter of scheduling.”

Village Council President John Magee credited Stack with a few pivotal changes in the community while he served on the council.

“One thing is all the work he and (the late councilman) John Coxeter did in making the sewers a reality,” Magee said. “He did a lot to bring that forward.”

Stack served as the council’s liaison to Lakes Area Youth Assistance (LAYA) for four years. Through the years he has been an influential member of the Skill Building Committee that approves funding to help families with pay-to-play fees in school districts.

“One of Mike’s greatest contributions is all his involvement with LAYA,” Magee said.

As a member of LAYA’s Mentors Plus Committee, he paired up at-risk kids without role models in their lives with a caring adult.

“These volunteers see the kids one time a week for a couple hours,” Stack said. “We recruit adults we know and are now developing a marketing program to get more adults involved through the Rotary (Club) and the Lakes Area Chamber (of Commerce).”

He is also the current co-chair for the Taste of the Lakes fund-raiser that benefits LAYA. This year it will be held on Sept. 28 and costs $20 per ticket.

“We have 20 different restaurants from the lakes area,” Stack said of the event. “Attendees sample food to glean funds for the administrative end of the program.”

A silent auction is also held in conjunction with the event.

“I enjoyed having him on council and can’t say enough good things about Mike and his role on council,” Magee said.

Councilman Bob Malek also opted not to run for re-election. He served one partial term in May 2007. In November 2008, he was elected to a four-year term on the council. He also sat on the Zoning Board of Appeals as the council liaison for four years.

“He stepped into council during a very hard economic time and put the needs of the village first and foremost,” Magee said. “He always asked the hard questions that needed to be asked.”

Malek could not be reached for comment prior to press time.

There are five open seats on Wolverine Lake Village Council to be filled by general election voters. Council President Pro Tem Ed Sienkiewicz, Patrick Nagy, Ron Cumbo, Brian Nedrow, and John Scott were the only candidates to file paperwork to appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. The top three vote-getters will earn four-year council terms, while the next two will earn two-year terms.