Assistant engineer succeeds him

city and to help maintain and improve the community.”

During the April 24 City Council meeting, Mayhew thanked elected officials and co-workers for the support he received over the years, adding that as a team, he and other staff members “accomplished a lot.”

Mayor Robert DeSana congratulated Mayhew on his retirement, and thanked him for his “great leadership,” saying he always did his “best” on the job. Elected officials praised Mayhew as a person and as an employee with City Treasurer Todd Browning calling him “nothing but first class.”

“I hate to see you go,” Browning added, “but in Jesus we have the best replacement we could ever get.” removal, road painting and traffic signage, the administration of solid waste collection and the disposal and recycling programs.

The department provides design installation, inspection and maintenance and replacement of all public sewers. The department also provides support of Tax Increment Finance Authority and Downtown Development Authority projects.

Mayhew, who was born and raised in Wyandotte and graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering, has worked for the city over two stints and is well known throughout the region. The first stint was 27 years, from 1987 to June 2015, working for longtime City Engineer Mark Kowalewski.

Mayhew left Wyandotte to serve six months as engineer of streets in the city of Detroit and then as city engineer in Taylor. He returned to the City of Wyandotte in 2019 to succeed Kowalewski as city engineer.

Mayhew’s resume includes the oversight of a number of projects in the city, including the extensive rehabilitation of Yack Arena and the move from the former City Hall on Biddle Avenue to its current location in a former bank building at the corner of Biddle and Eureka. He also oversaw the maintenance and improvement of city streets.

“I was very happy to be able to work with Wyandotte,” he said. “I enjoyed working with the people. Being born and raised in Wyandotte, it was a great opportunity to work in the

Plasencia, who was raised in River Rouge, earned a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from Michigan State University and currently lives in Flat Rock. After graduating from college, he worked for the Wayne County Department of Public Services, serving in various roles, including road construction in the county.

As assistant city engineer in Wyandotte, he held a number of roles, including overseeing infrastructure projects. He said Mayhew has “a wealth of institutional knowledge.”

“I like the people we work with,” Plasencia said. “We get a lot done in our beautiful city while trying to address the concerns of the residents.” One of his first jobs has been to search for his successor as assistant city engineer and to hire a new building inspector.