IONIA, Mich. — After some 34 years, the long-time mayor of Ionia said he would be calling it a career.
Dan Balise this month announced he would not seek reelection when his term expired, paving the way for the next generation of local leader and leaving behind an enduring legacy of service.
“Many of them have never known another mayor,” Balise laughed. “Any of the young people or even middle-aged people now don't remember a time when I wasn't mayor.”
The year was 1989. We lost the Berlin Wall and got George Bush, Sr. Footage of the stricken Exxon Valdez and Tianamen Square captivated a global audience. The Iron Curtain fell and in Ionia, Michigan, Dan Balice’s bid for mayor had just hit paydirt.
“My dad was 29 when he ran in 1949,” Balise explained. “I just grew up thinking public service was part of the right you paid for your time here on Earth.”
And taking a trip down memory lane, revisiting some 34 years in the Mayor’s chair, though difficult to choose just one, favorite moment, Balice describes a foundational moment that came early in his career:
“When I took over in ‘89, or ‘90, the city was in big trouble, economically, and infrastructure and things of that nature… we implemented a city income tax dropped our millage substantially,” he recalled. “That really provided the economic impetus to get us going. And that was a huge accomplishment… we’ve really kind of rebuilt the town and it’s been really fun. Very challenging.”
Which helped lay the groundwork for the remainder of Balice’s tenure...
“We've worked on one thing after another, and it's, you know, really, I didn't plan on spending 34 years, but that's just kind of how it worked out,” he said.
Never short on hometown pride…
“I love the community,” Balice related. “My grandparents moved here from Italy in the early 1900s. My dad was there. I've got five older sisters. They all moved away and they all moved back.”
Through the decades, the feast and the famine, the ups and the downs, one thing, Balice said, had always, always held true.
“I'm very rooted in Ionia and very proud of it,” he laughed.
Balice’s passion for the work…
“Community isn't just a geographic location,” the Mayor noted. “It's a sense of shared sacrifice and purpose. I think we've done that well in Ionia.”
A sense of shared purpose, neighbors and friends who made it all worthwhile.
“I owe a lot to the community,” he related. “They gave me a great education. My best friends were from there. It allowed me to go out in the world… It makes me feel good that I've given something back to a community that's given me everything.”
Following his exit from office, Balice said his focus would pivot to his day job—a career in law. He also hoped to devote more attention to the various boards on which he served.
Deputy Mayor John Milewski II will take over Balice’s role.
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