He met presidents and the Dalai Lama. What Westland's departing mayor will remember from job
Times and places. These are the moments that stand out for Bill Wild as he reflects on his time as mayor of Westland, a job he has held for 16 years, which makes him the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history.
Wild announced Nov. 22 that he was resigning to accept a job in the private sector as president and CEO of the Midwest Independent Retailers Association, where he’ll be helping retailers and suppliers in the food, beverage and petroleum industries across Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.
His last day as mayor was Jan. 16, and he began his new gig two days later. (Michael Londeau, Westland’s president pro tem, was appointed by the City Council to serve as interim mayor.)
I talked to Wild this week about interesting times and folks he came across during his time in office.
“I was invited to the White House eight different times,” said Wild, a Democrat who served as co-chair of the Small Business and Entrepreneur taskforce of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He met Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and other leaders, too.
“I also got a chance to meet the Dalai Lama, Muhammad Ali and Lady Gaga,” he said. “The Dalai Lama was at a small event with us (there were 10 mayors). He encouraged us to go back and start 'brush fires' in our communities to be more compassionate in hopes it would spread across the country. Westland was the first city in Michigan to sign the charter.”
Challenging moments
“There were times early in my tenure that I felt if I made a mistake, or there was an unexpected crisis, the residents would turn on you,” he said. “What I figured out was if a mayor communicated what we were doing, why we were doing it and how it helped the city and how we were paying for it, the residents would understand and give you the opportunity to execute.”
He learned about the importance of relationships. “A mayor needs strong allies, not only locally, but at the county, state and federal levels, to be successful. Politics, like everything else in life, comes down to relationships.”
Working both sides of the aisle
“Bill is one of the most well-respected and thoughtful leaders in Michigan,” said Bryan Barnett, a Republican who serves as mayor of Rochester Hills. Barnett served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2019-20.
“We came into office around the same time and met on a plane heading to a conference,” Barnett said. “He’s been a trusted friend and confidant. Bill and I always found a way to work together, attend each other's state of the cities (speeches), support runs for office, and just listen and give advice when needed. I look forward to working with him, too, in his new role.”
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Wild was all in on Westland before being elected mayor as he served on the City Council for six years and on its planning commission for two, prior to taking the city's top job. With mixed emotions, he delivered his final State of the City speech Jan. 12.
“It gave me the opportunity to thank the community for supporting and trusting me to lead the community for so long,” he said. “The city was in a really good spot: We had recently passed a three-year balanced budget; the city had received $26 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds; we had recently bonded out the city's pension debt; all of the union contracts were signed.
"We had a very talented team in place.”
Wild said he wanted to spend more time with his family and kids before they went off to college, knowing the clock was ticking. He wasn’t looking for another job and intended to serve out his term when MIRA leaders came calling. He had met them in 2014 while campaigning for Wayne County executive (he was unsuccessful in that bid) but recalled “being impressed with the history of this 110-year-old organization.
Ed Weglarz, CEO of MIRA, wanted to step down once his replacement was found. He'll leave once Wild is settled in.
Wild will be the organization’s 10th CEO. Others to hold the job include Daniel Loepp (president and CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan) and Michael Sarafa (former CEO of Bank of Michigan).
Looking back, and also ahead
As he begins a new chapter, I posed a few more questions to Wild (his answers are edited for length).
QUESTION: What do you consider the highlight of your time as mayor?
ANSWER: The rebuilding of our community and assembling an amazingly talented team. We worked with the City Council and built a new city hall, a new fire station, a community center, a farmers market (and) a splash park; renovated the police station, the library and the city's ice arena, and reinvested in every neighborhood in the city.
Q: What is it that people don't know about being mayor?
A: The grind it takes on the individual and their family. Westland has a strong mayor form of government, and the job comes with the task of being responsible for just about everything. I often would have to miss, come late or leave early to many family events or after-school activities. It takes good time management and a strong marriage to stay connected.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish in your new job?
A: Many folks don’t know but I owned an automotive recycling facility in Wayne for close to 20 years before elected office. While I've enjoyed success in politics, I'm an entrepreneur at heart. I'm looking to bring my experience as a small-business owner, problem solver, and marketing and promotion skills as mayor to this new position. I also will draw upon my political and professional relationships to raise MIRA's public and political profile, build membership and grow the MIRA Foundation. MIRA represents 4,000 independent retailers, vendors and suppliers in the food, beverage and petroleum industries. The majority are in Michigan, Ohio and Illinois.
Q: Are you done with elected office?
A: I'm committed and very excited about my new position with MIRA and the future of the organization. I'll keep an open mind to holding office in the future, but it would have to be something that really got me excited.
Contact Carol Cain: 248-355-7126 or clcain@cbs.com. She is senior producer/host of “Michigan Matters,” which airs 8 a.m. Sundays on CBS 62. See Suzanne Shank, Dr. Kenneth L. Harris and Keith Wyche on this Sunday’s show celebrating diversity.