Deputy City Manager Renee Tyler introduces priorities for Eastpointe: service, infrastructure and culture

Renee Tyler, the Deputy City Manager for the City of Eastpointe, introduced herself and laid out priorities she said she will pursue in the municipal role.

Tyler said she brings years of municipal-management experience and senior leadership training. She described earlier work in finance in New York City and time on Wall Street before serving as chief of staff to the Speaker Pro Tempore of the New Jersey Assembly and holding roles in Little Rock, Arkansas; Dubuque, Iowa; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Fulton, Missouri. "I was accepted as a member of National Former Black Public Administrator's ELI program. That is the Executive Leadership Institute," she said.

Tyler said her government experience has included fleet and transportation management, public works oversight and city administration. In Eau Claire, she said, she oversaw what she described as the typical public-works portfolio — streets, fleet, water, sewer, forestry, and parks and recreation — supervising about 300 employees and additional seasonal staff. For a capstone project in Dubuque, she said she focused on how public transportation can serve schoolchildren who do not qualify for busing.

Outlining immediate priorities for Eastpointe, Tyler said the administration will focus on hearing and resolving residents' problems, improving service delivery, and addressing infrastructure issues. "We want to be able to deliver even better services to our people," she said. She also emphasized internal culture: "We want to create an atmosphere of growth and professionalism and welcoming one another within our departments and its operations and administrative group."

Tyler described an inquisitive approach to the job, saying she asks many questions so she does not come in assuming what the city needs. "I wanna know what you need. I wanna know what it is that is a barrier from you having the best experience here in Eastpointe," she said, adding that she will work with the city manager and staff to identify and remove barriers.

She closed by expressing enthusiasm for the post and thanked the audience for the opportunity to serve.

The presentation consisted primarily of Tyler's introduction and statement of priorities; no formal votes or motions were recorded in the transcript.