Politics & Government

Rod Lesko to Lead Wyandotte Municipal Services

The 25-year employee was promoted acting general manager with a review in six months.

After 25 years on the job, Rod Lesko is ready to take the helm at Wyandotte Municipal Services.

He accepted the promotion to acting general manager during Tuesday's Municipal Services Commission meeting.

"I would like to thank everyone for allowing this to progress smoothly and for your confidence," he told commissioners who voted him in unanimously. "I truly do appreciate it. I know that we have a great staff here. I‘m looking forward to working with all of them."

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The position came open due to the retirement of Melanie McCoy, who is leaving Wyandotte to become the superintendent of the public utility in Sebewaing, which is located about 125 miles from Wyandotte in Michigan's Thumb area. Her last day is Feb. 1.

She, along with the commissioners and some of Lesko's colleagues, applauded him being named to the top post.

Find out what's happening in Wyandottewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Lesko, 43, began working for Wyandotte in 1987 as a part-time employee doing mostly mechanical drafting and blueprints.

"The position became full-time and I gradually worked myself up the ladder, going to school, doing everything that was necessary, trying to advance," he said.

Two years ago, he was named superintendent of transmission and distribution at Wyandotte Municipal Services, the position he held until his latest promotion.

Lesko said his lifelong roots to the city made the appointment even sweeter.

"I was born here, raised here," he said. "You want to groom things and make sure that they’re going to last. I wouldn’t say that it’s something that I had always aspired to, but once I realized that the opening was there, I thought, 'Yeah, I’d like to give this a shot and see what I can do to keep us going real well.'"

His appointment as acting general manager is contingent on a review after six months. Should commissioners opt to solicit resumes for a permanent replacement, Lesko said, he intends to apply for the job.

“There are a lot of projects we’re working on that I wouldn’t want to see fall between the cracks with a new regime and if it should be someone from the outside, I’m here to help them," he said.


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