Press Release | Office of the Mayor | Council Approves Mayor's Appointment for Planning Director; Mayor Announces Additional Appointments

For Immediate Release | Official Press Release

PRESS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

36300 Warren Road | Westland, Michigan | 48185

Office 734.467.3200 | Fax 734.422.1230

WWW.CITYOFWESTLAND.COM

Council Approves Mayor's Appointment for Planning Director

Mayor Announces Additional Appointments

Westland, MI (February 20, 2019) - The Westland City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Moe Ayoub as the new Planning Director at their February 19th meeting.

Ayoub has worked for the City of Dearborn since 2015 and currently holds the position of their Senior Planner. He has a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from Wayne State University and also holds a Michigan Citizen Planner Certificate and a Master Citizen Planner Certificate, both from Michigan State University.

"We are excited to welcome Moe to the City of Westland team," commented Mayor Wild. "Moe will bring a fresh, new perspective to the department and his specialized knowledge in Urban Planning along with his familiarity of the region will equip him to take our planning and development strategies to the next level."

"For me, planning focuses on creating stronger and united communities by recognizing that economic prosperity and neighborhood vitality are threads of the same cloth," commented Ayoub. " I'm thankful for the opportunity to work with Mayor Wild, along with the rest of his administration, on advancing his key initiatives and I'm looking forward to creating new relationships with business owners and residents of the City of Westland."

In addition to the Planning Director position, Mayor Wild also announced two more appointments within his administration.

Aubrey Berman has been appointed to the role of Economic Development Director. Berman, who has worked for the City since 2013, will move from the Mayor's Office where she has worked closely with the city's Community Media Department on coordinating the city's communications strategy. She possesses a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Florida Gulf Coast University and a Masters Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Global Leadership from Cleary University.

"As the City's business community continues to thrive, we must also focus on retention and a branding strategy for attracting new businesses," commented Mayor Wild. "Aubrey's extensive knowledge of the residents and businesses within the community coupled with her communications expertise will allow her to help serve our existing businesses with any number of issues they may be facing. She will work closely with our new Planning Director to move the city's attract, retain and develop our business community."

Mayor Wild's Administrative Secretary position will be filled by Kathy Suchora, a Livonia resident with an extensive history in the nursing and administrative fields.

All three employees will officially start their positions on Monday, March 4.

For more information, please call Mayor Wild's Office at (734)467-3200

Westland, Michigan is the state's 10th largest municipality, with a population of over 84,000 people who exhibit a great deal of pride in their All-American City. Westland has a thriving business community along with beautiful residential areas. The citizens enjoy a wide array of amenities and a quality of life that is second to none.

In 2014, Westland was rated as one of 24/7 Wall Street's America's Best 50 Cities to Live, offering residents and visitors an ideal blend of single-family affordable homes, apartments and condominiums, great schools, and access to numerous outdoor activities. Public safety is delivered by full-service, professional law enforcement and firefighting personnel. Westland Police Department, whose motto is protect and serve, provides emergency dispatch services to four cities and over 100,000 residents; the Westland Fire Department are licensed paramedics who responded to over 9,000 calls for service last year, about 85% being medical based. They never forget their mission of preserving life and property.

Westland is well-known as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Wayne County with hundreds of shops and restaurants anchored by the Westland Shopping Center, one of the country's original four regional malls.

Infinite opportunities are available in Westland for the recreation aficionado including, more than 40 parks and 1,500 acres of trails, a 9-hole golf course, hockey arena, athletic fields, playscapes, a Farmers and Artisans Market and more. One of Michigan's most environmentally friendly cities, Westland has a progressive curbside recycling program with one of the highest participation rates in the nation and the City is raising the bar for cultural experiences with the placement of public art throughout the City.

The City is served by two public school districts; Wayne-Westland Community Schools serving 12,000 youth was recently named one of the Best School in Michigan by WXYZ-TV and is the proud recipient of 14 Golden Apple and two Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards. Livonia Public Schools, educating nearly 15,000 students, is proud of their MEAP/MME scores that exceed state averages and the District has also earned Golden Apple and Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Awards.

The City provides competitive incentives for those who are interested in investing in Westland, making it one of the hottest investment markets in the region. Our Fast-Track to Business Team, which consists of key decision makers who work diligently on a development plan will "cut the red tape" and expedite the approval process for new business development.