Year in Review: Former Berkley Mayor Marilyn Stephan Says Farewell

The story: Former Berkley Mayor Marilyn Stephan, who was elected in 2005 and before that served on council since 1999, did not file to run in the Nov. 8 election. .

The update: Stephan, who is expecting another grandchild in March, said she plans to spend her newfound free time doting on family.

"I didn't intend to stay this long to begin with," she said with a smile. "I've served the community for 22 years. I think I've done my part."

Prior to her career in city government, Stephan taught at , and . She also served as Berkley Education Association union president for 10 years before her retirement in 1995.

"She was really a good teacher," . "I hear that all the time. And a good teacher becomes a good union president."

As mayor, Stephan oversaw an $11 million street improvement project, led Berkley to a ranking in a 2010 Bloomberg BusinessWeek report as among the United States' best and most affordable suburbs and helped to establish a standing Environmental Advisory Committee in the city.

She said some of the most memorable moments of her tenure included:

• A 2009 City Council meeting that "was packed to overflowing" during an uproar over Rocky the pitbull, who was euthanized after attacking a smaller dog and biting a person. The dog's fate drew protesters who held up "Justice for Rocky" signs during the lengthy meeting, which took place the night before an election, Stephan said. As a result, the first City Council meeting in November has been eliminated so that extensive residents comments will not prevent the city clerk from having enough time to set up for an election.
• The city's 75th anniversary celebration, which was attended by former mayors and council members, and included a cemetery walk and tour of homes.
• Presiding over weddings, including a Halloween-themed wedding and the nuptials of a former student's daughter.

Fortunately, Stephan has no plans to abandon her dedication to the community.

"I hope to devote more time to the Friends of the Library. I still will support the and the ," said .

The Minnesota native, who has lived in Berkley since 1957, and her husband George, a graduate and city resident since 1940, plan to spend more time together and with their family.

"We hope to do more traveling. I have family in Minnesota," said Stephan, who grew up in Alexandria, MN, and attended Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN. She moved to Michigan, where she met her husband, after being recruited to teach in the Clarenceville School District.

"We'll continue to go to the Oakland University women's basketball games because my son is the associate head coach," a proud Stephan added.

The former mayor said she'd also like to do some sewing and join a book club, "if they'll take me."

"They might not want an old English teacher," she joked.

One of her former students issued a warning to any book club Stephan might join: She assigns a lot of reading.

"For her class, the requirement was you had to read books over the summer," said Judge James Wittenberg, who had Stephan for ninth-grade English at Berkley High School. "I even remember going to a wedding in Canada and reading in the car.

"We had to read all the books before we even got (to school)," he laughed. "We had to read a lot."

With roots that run as deep as hers do in Berkley, Wittenberg said retirement is unlikely to alter Stephan's commitment to the city.

"She might not be the mayor, but I guarantee she'll be very involved," he said, praising the civility on council during Stephan's time in office.

"This is a wonderful small town in the midst of this huge metropolitan area," Stephan said. "And, I believe I'm leaving it a better place, not because of what I did, but because of how we've all worked together – volunteers, councils, committees and employees."