CHAMBER ROUSER: Dynamic Visions 4-Yr College Downtown, Paraleon Pier at Bay
New City Manager Draws Crowd, Low Key in First Talk Since City Hiring
April 3, 2014
By: Dave Rogers
Chamber Prexy Dynamic Mike Seward and Chair Laurie Bush chat with Richard Finn at eye-opener breakfast.
Finn and Bay City Mayor Chris Shannon share a quiet confab after the event at Bay Valley last Tuesday.
The "Dynamic Visions" of this community were promoted to a large crowd on hand to welcome new Bay City manager Richard Finn at the eye opener breakfast of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce last Tuesday at Bay Valley.
Chamber President Mike Seward, after his rousing "Good Morning Bay City!" that mimics Robin Williams' "Good Morning Vietnam" from the film of the same name, reiterated the "dynamic visions" put forward at the Chamber's stunning annual banquet last week, attended by a door-busting 500 at the DoubleTree.
The visions, objectives for 2014, developed in cooperation with the Bay Area Community Foundation, include:
1-Recruit a new four-year college or university to Bay City's downtown; and
2-Build Paraleon Pier at the foot of State Park Drive.
3-Improve the visual appeal of neighborhoods and business districts, especially entrances to the city.
Williams became famous for the memorable "good morning" catchword in the 1987 comedy film. Set in Saigon in 1965, during the Vietnam War, the film stars Williams as a radio DJ on Armed Forces Radio Service, who proves hugely popular with the troops, but infuriates his superiors with what they call his "irreverent tendency". The story is loosely based on the experiences of AFRS radio DJ Adrian Cronauer.
Mr. Seward's call for cooperation to achieve the group's "dynamic visions" was anything but irreverent and everything about community cooperation to achieve goals.
"Here's Mr. Sell, Sell, Sell," exclaimed MC Eric Jylha, recently retired as a broadcaster and weather reporter for WNEM-TV Channel 5, who got pat-on-the-back plaudits from Chamber President Mike Seward.
Jylha introduced Mr. Finn as "someone we have all been eagerly awaiting."
Mr. Finn's approach in a brief talk was very low key and did not deal with specifics, a cautious but wisdom-freighted entry into public life in a community that can at times be politically volatile.
"Right now I'm learning and I won't change anything at this time -- until I find out what's working what's not," said the 61-year-old manager, who urges those he meets "call me Rick.".
He was effusive about the chamber banquet where the "program of work" was outlined, saying: "that tells me a lot about this organization."
Finn said he is meeting with the mayor and commissioners "to establish goals, objectives and priorities that will become our marching orders."
He noted that he is a member of the International City Managers Association and "subscribes to the group's code of ethics."
Finn said he aims to make city hall a friendly place "where all who come in have a positive experience without being hassled."
Finn also cited aims of networking with people, the chamber, county, townships as essential to driving the city forward. Only by combining services and creating cost effectiveness, tearing down turfs and working together can local government thrive in a straitened fiscal atmosphere, he said, concluding: "We probably never will get back to where we were when we had all the resources we wanted."
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