Blanchard Fills Berkley City Council Seat

The Berkley City Council appointed longtime resident John "Jack" Blanchard to fill a council seat left vacant by Phil O'Dwyer's election as mayor during its meeting Monday night at .

The 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.

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.

"I think the city's been on the right track," Blanchard said after the meeting. "I want to keep it moving forward."

He said his main objective is to provide the younger generation of residents with a city that serves them now and into the future.

Blanchard was one of four applicants. The others were:

• Marc Herron: An attorney and private investigator whose firm is located in Berkley, Herron is also an 11-year resident with four children.
• Ryan Lawson: A Ford Motor Co. lawyer and former U.S. Coast Guard Reservist who has lived in Berkley for five years, Lawson serves as vice chair of the city's Communications Advisory Committee, as well as on the Environmental Advisory Committee.
• Gary Polk: A technical solutions representative for HP Enterprise Services and 24-year resident of Berkley, Polk serves as vice chairman on the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.

"We had four extraordinary candidates," Mayor O'Dwyer said after the meeting.

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