WGVU’s 2019 Election Coverage continues, as we profile all the candidates seeking public office in the cities of Muskegon and Grand Rapids. In the race for city commissioner, two candidates are running to represent Muskegon’s 3rd Ward; Lawrence Spataro, and Michael Ramsey.
If the name Lawrence Spataro sounds familiar, that’s because he served as a Muskegon City Commissioner in the 3rd Ward for 15 years, before losing his seat in the last election. Convinced by others to run again, Spataro is a recipient rights officer at HealthWest, a member of the Nelson Neighborhood Improvement Association and has served on its board of directors since 1997.
“I’m running for city commission, and I think people should support me because I have the experience from serving on the city commission in the past, but also 30 years of involvement as an active member of my neighborhood association,” Spataro said. “And I think we all want the same things, good paying jobs for the people who live here, a downtown that is the anchor for the larger community, and neighborhoods that are safe.”
Michael Ramsey works for the Muskegon Community Health Project and Mercy Health Muskegon, where he serves as a community health improvement plan implementation coordinator. In addition, Ramsey serves on The Muskegon Civic Theater Board of Directors, The Salvation Army Advisory Board, and various other community committees.
Michael Ramsey
“I’m very excited at the opportunity to serve our community here in Muskegon, because I think we are at an awesome place, and we are growing exponentially at exciting rates,” Ramsey said. “And as we look at economic development in our community, I want to make sure that we are not only preparing for our future, but we are also serving the people who have been here for generations supporting us. I think that we are at a place that we need to start being intentional with the process of how we decide whose doing what and where, and including all of our communities’ voice in those decisions.”
The vote is set for Tuesday, November 5th.
