December 2024: Welcome to interns

 The city entered somewhat uncharted territory after the retirement of longtime Economic Development Director Phil Hansen in October.

Instead of hiring a full-timer to replace Hansen, City Manager Kurt Giles went with two part-time interns who, for now anyway, take over for Hansen and work 30 hours/week each.


However, their positions are somewhat fluid, as Josh Leppien, 24, and Elsie Burton, 22, report directly to Giles, who may utilize them in other roles.


This is good news as the city administration (not to mention residents) benefits from the inclusion of youth. Young people are more likely think outside the box, and that’s beneficial in any organization. “That’s how we’ve always done it” should never be said to justify anything, and I hope Josh and Elsie take that to heart.


Elsie is a recent Michigan Technological University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in scientific and technical communication and an associate’s degree in humanities. Her skills range from marketing and social media management to technical writing and applied mathematics. “I hope to use my education and experience growing up in a small community on Beaver Island to get to know this community better and share what makes it so great!” she said.


Josh is the great grandson of Fred and Gertrude Leppien, for whom the park was named. He grew up in Alma and recently graduated with a master’s degree in political science from Villanova University. “I am thankful to be working for the City of St. Louis while working on a master’s degree in public administration,” he said.


Feel free to contact Elsie and Josh by phone or email:


Josh: (989) 681-3017 or jleppien@stlouismi.com

Elsie: (989) 681-3017 or eburton@stlouismi.com


Thanks to election workers


Many thanks to City Clerk Jamie Long and election workers Janie Hunt, Sue Whitford, Terry Root, Robin Hart, Payton Kuhn, Don Burch, Tina Redes and Ashley Bullard for the fourth time this year! They handled more than 1,000 voters on Nov. 5, including 100 in the first hour! “This group worked so hard to keep everything running as smooth as possible,” Long said. “They are a great group of people!

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