Councilman Sexton Steps Down
After 12 years invested in the city of Alpena, councilman Shawn sexton is stepping away from public service scene, at least for now, to focus on his family.
The councilman says he started the endeavor to make Alpena a better place for his kids to grow up, and now that he’s got three teenagers and one child, its time to take the focus off improving the city, and dedicate himself to just being their dad.
“That’s not fair to our community to miss council events to go to my kids events, it’s not fair to my kids to miss kids events to go to council,” says the councilman.
Sexton says its bittersweet to leave the council, but after spending two years on the planning commission and 10 years on the city council, he’s proud of his accomplishments that helped make Alpena a better place for his kids, and generations to come.
“When I first ran and talked about development, most people really fought that and were against that idea. I heard 100 times, we don’t want to be Traverse City. I’ve really seen that change a lot! The development we’ve had has been positive, and I think people in this community are embracing that now,” he says.
Sexton says he’s seen the attitude change about Alpena’s development, and he’s also seen the city grow from a small hunting community, to something much more than that. The councilman hopes to add to the growing art scene from the sidelines, with a project to bring a top quality music venue to Alpena.
