It's been a couple of months for Jonathan Seyferth to settle in at the helm of the City of Muskegon. To go running in on day one with cameras and questions is one way of doing things, but hey...to let a guy get his feet planted, find his way around the building and understand the lay of the land a little is more of our pace....so, we let things simmer a bit. Besides, Jonathan isn't a stranger to many of us. His time in Muskegon has been established working in economic development and roles in neighboring communities have built him up to the role he's in as the City Manager of Muskegon and as 2023 comes in, we caught up.
Setting out to be a journalist at one point, civic jobs became the turn in the road no one really saw coming. Some time in both State and Federal Government, Business Development Manager for Muskegon Area First, then on to the City of Coopersville and then Gaines Township, the goal has been growth and experience to come back home. It's an amazing time too to grab the reigns in Muskegon with the amazing amount of development and growth, as well as the wrinkles that come up along the way that need a steady hand and the experience and wisdom it takes to iron things out. A Norsemen by graduation, Jonathan brings a young mindset and eager willingness to grab the wheel and go.
It's a big job. We're a community working on a lot of things. Growing and preserving what is our heritage. Our image internally and how the rest of the world see us. We're working on our culture, our diversity, our offerings to tourism and more. Our growth has been jaw dropping in some areas, and in others we are still putting pieces together. We did better than most through the pandemic from my point of view...hey, there's no one better at circling the wagons, but we still too have our challenges like any community like how to do less with more and work better with neighboring communities to share resources.
Jonathan has spent a lifetime leading up to the "conductors seat". I've had the pleasure of knowing him a little along the way and to catch up now that he's had a chance to figure out where the coffee pot is down at City Hall was great, take a listen.
We're heading in to 2023 with a full head of steam and a new vision at he helm in Muskegon. Can't sit here and claim perfection or anything and it's important too, to remember that local government isn't magic. They are working people trying to find the balance for the greater good for everyone. In a place like Muskegon where all worlds meet...it's a lot of balls to juggle. Jonathan is a charismatic and confident leader and wise in the ways of the operations of governance. "Coming home" to be the City Manager of Muskegon is an accomplishment we should all applaud and to continue to watch his story unfold will be part of our new story to tell. Congrats Jonathan and thanks for the time,
