City Council

Meet Ferndale's City Council:

Mayor Craig Covey

Mayor: 2008-2011
Councilman: 2000-2007
Mayor Pro-Tem: 2004-2005
Craig Covey has been a Ferndale resident for over twenty years. He founded and chairs each year the Ferndale Blues Festival, and the Annual Ferndale Pub Crawl. One of his main interests is furthering the progress of making Ferndale a "cool" city, and has supported the revitalization of the downtown, and the marketing of Ferndale as a City where diversity is valued. He is the COO of the Midwest AIDS Coalition. He was a member of the Ferndale Parks & Recreation Board, Ferndale Disabilities Advisory Committee, and a member of the Southeast Oakland Coalition, (an alcohol and drug prevention effort). Mr. Covey was born in Canton, Ohio, and went to school in Columbus at Ohio State. His personal interests center on civil and human rights issues. He currently serves on the Highway Committee; Police Chief Liaison Committee; Sidewalk Hardship Committee; Ferndale Community Foundation and the Police and Fire Retirement System Board of Trustees. He has previously served on the Finance Committee, the Employee Pension Board, and the Ordinance Committee.
He can be reached at work (MAPP) at (248) 545-1435 or Email.

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Mayor Pro-Tem Kate Baker

Councilwoman-Elect Kate Baker

Read about Councilwoman Kate Baker in Crain's Detroit Business.

Term: 2008-2011
Mayor Pro-Tem: 2010-2011
Although Kate Baker is the youngest councilwoman in Ferndale's history, she has been involved in Ferndale community organizations her whole life. Her parents, Doug and Linda Baker, are Ferndale residents and business owners who instilled the ethics of hard work and community activism in their daughter.
After graduating from Ferndale High School in 1998, Kate attended Smith College in Northampton, MA where she studied Government and Urban Planning. Kate graduated from Smith in 2002 and is currently pursuing a Master of Urban Planning degree at Wayne State University in Detroit. She has worked as a fundraiser at The Henry Ford in Dearborn since 2003 where she focuses on the capital campaign that included the restoration of Greenfield Village and the ongoing transformation of Henry Ford Museum.
Kate has volunteered for the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority as a member of the Organization Committee since 2005. She is also involved in several regional preservation organizations including the Detroit Area Art Deco Society and Preservation Wayne. Kate enjoys gardening and is always in the middle of a new "project" at home. In addition to her appointment as Mayor Pro Tem, Kate currently serves on the Planning Commission; City Manager and Fire Chief Liaison Committees and the Employment Retirement System Board of Trustees.

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Councilman T. Scott Galloway

Mayor Pro Tem Galloway

Term: 2000-2010
Mayor Pro-Tem: 2002-2003, 2008-2010
Scott has dedicated his professional career to public service. As a trial attorney he assists working people in consumer, real estate and construction matters. Scott previously volunteered as an attorney at Oakland Livingston Legal Aid and the Community Legal Clinic where he helped the less fortunate with their legal problems.
A 1987 graduate of Ferndale high School, Scott studied history at the University of Michigan and law at Indiana University. During college Scott served as an intern on Capitol Hill for Senator Carl Levin. While in law school he worked on Habitat for Humanity projects, served as a judicial clerk for the Illinois Eighth Judicial Circuit, and was a law clerk for the International of the United Auto Workers union.
Before his election to City Council, Scott served on the City of Ferndale Police and Fire Board and was a leader in Inter-county Residents Achieving Regional Excellence (ICARE), a grass roots organization that opposed the development of the State Fairgrounds as a racetrack and amphitheatre.
On Council Scott serves on the Ordinance Committee; Finance Committee; Brownfield Redevelopment Authority; Ferndale Public Schools Superintendent Advisory Committee; City Clerk and Police Chief Liaison Committees and Police and Fire Retirement System Board of Trustees. He has previously served on the Board of Zoning Appeals. In his free time Scott enjoys home improvement projects as well as reading, drawing and skiing.

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Councilman Mike Lennon

Councilman Term: 2004-2011
Mayor Pro Tem: 2006-2007
A retired Police Officer for the City of Ferndale, Michael Lennon has a history of working for the citizens of Ferndale. While he has never before held public office, his family has always been in the service of the City of Ferndale – father Bernie Lennon was mayor and his brother David also served as a city councilman. While serving as a Police Officer, Michael has taken classes and seminars at Oakland Community College, Michigan State and Eastern Michigan University. His interest in being a councilman stems from a desire to maintain the high quality of service Ferndale residents are accustomed to, including Police, Fire, DPW, Parks & Recreation, Library, and Senior Services. He favors a safe, viable, walking-friendly downtown with a new parking structure to attract out of town visitors. He would also like plans for a new combined City Hall, Police Department and Court House developed, which he believes can be built by pursuing grants. In addition to being on council, Michael Lennon on the Construction Board of Appeals; City Clerk and Police Chief Liaison Committees; Finance Committee; Highway Committee and Ordinance Committee. He has previously served on the Zoning Board, Brownfield Board, and the City Manager Review Committee. You may contact Councilmember Lennon via Email.

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Councilwoman Melanie Piana

Term: 2010-2013
Melanie is a lifelong Michigander, the last 6 years of which she has spent living and working in Ferndale with her husband, Jim. She has worked tirelessly at the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, a Ferndale-based non-profit organization dedicated to regional collaboration, redevelopment in inner-ring suburbs and energy sustainability. Melanie graduated from Albion College in 1995, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications and German. Melanie is a certified project manager (PMP), a distinction she earned during the years she was affiliated with the auto industry. In 2008, Melanie received her Masters in Urban Planning from Wayne State University. For the past six years, Melanie has served Ferndale as a volunteer on the Business Development Committee at the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority. In 2007, Melanie was honored as the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority Volunteer of the Year. She also served as a volunteer member of the Board of Zoning Appeals and will continue her involvement as a councilmember liaison to this board. Melanie loves to travel, bicycle and discover urban spaces. Melanie currently serves on the Board of Zoning Appeals; City Manager and Fire Chief Liaison Committees; Ferndale Community Foundation and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG).
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The City of Ferndale, Michigan
300 East Nine Mile Road
Ferndale, Michigan 48220
(248) 546-2525
City Hall Hours:
Monday - Thursday 8:00am - 5:30pm
Closed Fridays

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