Tom Gromek

Tom Gromek became village manager of the Village of Roscommon in February 2008. Born and raised in Livonia, he graduated from Central Michigan in May 2005 with a BS in public administration with a minor in business administration. Tom obtained his masters of public administration degree (MPA) from Wayne State University in August 2007 with a concentration in human resource management. He interned with the City of Northville in 2004 and interned with the City of Grosse Pointe Woods in 2007. Tom is an avid sports fan, particularly U of M football, the Detroit Tigers, and the Detroit Lions. He enjoys running competitively and has completed four half-marathons over the past two years.

Contact Information
Tom Gromek
tom@roscommonvillage.com
989-275-5743

Monday

December 8, 2008

Welcome to my blog! The Village of Roscommon is an outstanding community blessed with a bustling downtown, beautiful scenery, and year-round recreation opportunities. Roscommon is located off I-75, just south of Grayling and the closest community to the world-renowned Higgins Lake. While our population may be small (just over 1,100 people), some very big things are happening.

It all starts with community cooperation and leadership. Our village council has shown the willingness to fund improvements and provide more community-wide events. In May, we had our first Village Spring Clean-Up, which was a resounding success. In August, we held our 2nd Annual Village Yard/Sidewalk Sale.

Throughout the summer, a farmer’s market was held each Monday in the Au Sable River Center’s parking lot. Every September, firefighters throughout the state convene in Roscommon for the Firemen’s Memorial Festival. And this past weekend, our downtown turned into a Christmas paradise with the much beloved Christmas in the Village Festival, featuring plenty of Christmas decorations, free giveaways, a craft show, and a nighttime light parade.

Roscommon’s Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is extremely active in creating new and exciting ways to improve the community. In 2008, the DDA established a Facade Grant Program, allowing businesses to receive a 50% matching grant of up to $5,000 for improvements to the outside of their business (primarily signs, siding, paint, windows). So far, over 20 businesses have taken advantage of the program, with the DDA contributing over $60,000 in matching grant money. This has drastically changed the appearance of our downtown. This also spurred two other DDA projects; improving our community events storefront and contracting with a local artist for a mural project.

Roscommon also received a prestigious award, as we won the Michigan’s Best Tasting Water Award, edging out communities from all over the state, and we competed for the national award in Washington D.C. Our Department of Public Works deserves the credit for the careful planning and high standards that have been in place for many years.

Wallace Park is another area of improvement within the Village of Roscommon. A new dock featuring steps leading to the Au Sable River, complete with two new ramps and a canoe launch area transformed this park into a major community attraction. Also, new bathrooms featuring timed locks were added. The Village of Roscommon, the DDA, and the Roscommon Rotary Club were all involved on these improvements.

Roscommon is truly changing before our eyes. With brand new businesses, including three new restaurants, an eye-catching downtown, wonderful scenery and recreation opportunities, and some of the friendliest people in the state, Roscommon is establishing itself as one of the true gems in Northern Michigan.

Tuesday

December 9, 2008

Being one of the younger managers in the state, one of my assets is being able to utilize technology to better serve the residents and visitors of Roscommon. In first coming to Roscommon, I was impressed with the quality of the website. In today’s world, having a well-crafted, informative website can do wonders for any municipality. I know when I want to learn about a business, community, or topic, I will “Google” it and explore the related websites. Nicole, our administrative assistant, has done an impressive job developing and updating the website on a consistent basis.

To help keep residents informed, we publish a quarterly newsletter. This newsletter, which is inserted in that week’s local paper, features sections written by our DDA President, Jim Anderson, and myself. To further inform residents and interested parties, I created a manager’s blog, which is linked from our main homepage. In the past, I have developed personal blogs involving sports, so it was a natural transition to carry a passion of mine and incorporate it into my new job. I am also working on a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on the DDA’s Facade Grant program, which I hope to unveil in January.

I think my generation better understands and feels more comfortable using technology to communicate our ideas. I started using computers in elementary school and continued throughout my schooling, so it feels natural to incorporate computers into my personal life and work life. As we look to the future, and look at ways to improve our communities, I think utilizing the internet and technology is of the upmost importance. People will want to pay water bills online, review tax information online, and want to communicate via email with village staff/councilmembers. Residents will want to conduct business with municipalities almost exclusively through the internet and cellular phones, so we as public administrators will have to continue to find new, innovative ways to make this feasible.

Wednesday

December 10, 2008

As James Freed, village manager of Lakeview, indicated in a previous blog, planning is one of the most critical needs of a community. I am surprised at the lack of planning completed in recent years within the Village of Roscommon. While some may look at this as disappointing or as a negative, I see a great opportunity in the coming months. Our master plan and recreation plans need to be updated and refined. We also need a workable capital improvement plan, particularly focusing on our roads and sidewalks.

Why do I feel planning is so important? Planning sets a critical, base foundation. Without a foundation or plan to work from, you may have a lot of people working hard, but working in different directions. The planning process can also pull the whole community together. A well-crafted master plan will contain input from many sources such as the village council, village staff, the planning commission, DDA, chamber of commerce, rotary club, business owners, the general public, and others. Everybody has the common goal of creating a workable master plan that is reflective of the community. By including all of the community’s stakeholders, ideas and visions can be shared in a positive, supportive environment. Each group or individual can bring something unique to the table, which ultimately strengthens the plan. While not everyone will agree on land use, goals, and other criteria, at least their ideas will be considered and whatever is chosen will have some validity to it. Without the input from all of these groups, what is the point of the plan? It is extremely difficult to get individuals to believe strongly in something they had no part in creating.

Planning better prepares a community financially. With a solid plan, you can prepare for future expenditures and have less financial surprises, which is always important. Planning also paves the way for grant money and exploring other funding resources. I hear “grant money” a lot, but I have discovered that communities successful in obtaining grant money have something in common. They have put the time, effort, and money into developing quality plans, and know exactly where the requested funds will fit into their plans.

Thursday

December 11, 2008

Most residents seem genuinely surprised to see a village manager who is so young or "just a kid," as I often hear. While I understand their reaction and skepticism, I take it as both a compliment and a challenge. I worked extremely hard to obtain a masters degree in public administration at a young age, and I know how difficult it was to obtain my two quality internships. I feel I bring a fresh perspective, lots of energy and plenty of enthusiasm to the table.

As mentioned above, my education has proved to be important in understanding the basics of local government. However, I have found my most rewarding and beneficial experiences have come through internships, interviews, and interactions with managers and other local government officials. I find myself constantly using the knowledge and insight from these experiences into my job today. Believe it or not, a simple non-paid internship in Northville has been my favorite experience. While that unpaid internship was only 20 hours per week, I learned the most about city management, how to treat and interact with employees, and learned the most about life that summer of 2004. I owe a lot of thanks to Gary Word, the city manager of Northville at that time, for giving me that opportunity.

In Roscommon, any success I have had here is based on several factors. First of all, the staff in place has been outstanding in educating me about the community, past practices, and offering me sound advice on tough decisions. I feel grateful for Nicole, Janae, Kathy, Dave, Jeff, and Mike. They have made a tough transition much easier than I ever thought it would be. I also thank the village council for their patience, encouragement, and willingness to get on board with some of my new ideas.

Even with all of the help, internships, and education, I still find the village manager position difficult on many levels. On some of those stressful days, I tell myself that it is normal and expected to not know everything about this profession. I know I won't understand everything for years to come. What I try to do is to work hard each and every day, ask plenty of questions, listen to residents and community leaders, and represent the village with class and integrity. I have taken a liking to the excitement and unpredictably of a village manager's job, and I am confident I will continue to grow in my position.

Friday

December 12, 2008

In taking this village manager's position, I have to admit I was quite nervous and uncertain on how I would handle all of the job responsibilities. While it has not been easy, there has been considerable assistance, especially from fellow managers, the MLGMA, and the MML.

I have been overwhelmed by the willingness of other managers to assist me in a variety of ways. First, I have found the Manager ListServ to be one of the best tools available. Every time I ask a question, describe a scenario, or want examples from other managers and their communities, I have gotten a plethora of excellent, worthwhile responses. I also had the pleasure of attending the MLGMA summer conference at Boyne Mountain, which I found extremely beneficial. We are blessed to have some extremely bright and creative managers in the state. I learned so much from the veteran managers, who, not so long ago, were in the same position as me. I also enjoyed spending time with my fellow younger managers, and discussing some of the issues which are unique to us. I have built several good friendships with managers in my age group, and without the ListServ and MLGMA conference, this would not have been possible.

I have also attended several MML events, including the MML Annual Convention in October, and have been impressed with the quality of speakers, the networking opportunities, and the amount of knowledge and optimism shared. I always walk out of an MML event feeling more confident and knowledgeable about my job. I go to the League’s website daily and usually find something beneficial, whether it is from the League in the News, the Buzz, or the League guest blog. Also, the MML Link distributed straight to my email box has a wealth of valuable information.

In this position, I really enjoy not feeling alone or isolated. I feel I have plenty of resources to turn to on a variety of issues, even on the smallest of topics. I feel privileged to be a part of the MLGMA and MML, and hope to build on my involvement in both of these organizations.

I really enjoyed blogging this week, and want to thank MML for the opportunity!