Preview: Berkley City Council to Swear in New Member

Longtime resident John "Jack" Blanchard will be sworn in as a Berkley City Council member during a brief meeting that begins at 7 tonight inside .

left vacant by Phil O'Dwyer's election as mayor during its meeting Dec. 5 at .

Blanchard, a retired General Motors engineer, has lived in Berkley for more than 33 years with his wife Barbara, served in Vietnam and spent 12 years on active duty and 18 years as a reservist. The couple volunteers on behalf of Operation Military Kids, which aims to support children during their parent's deployment.

Blanchard also has given his time to the community as a 27-year volunteer firefighter and in various roles within the , from which his two sons graduated and two of his five grandchildren attend.

When asked what he'd like to communicate to residents, Blanchard responded: "I'm looking forward to serving."

Also on the agenda Monday night is approval of a contract between the SMART bus system and the city of Berkley that primarily covers public transportation services for seniors and residents with disabilities. The contract runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2012.

The meeting is open to the public and there will be opportunities for citizen comments.

The complete agenda is attached as a PDF. Stay tuned to Berkley Patch for more information from the meeting.