Meet the New Faces of the Plymouth City Commission

The Plymouth City Commission will gain two new faces this year after an uncontested election.

Newcomers Dan Dalton and Oliver Wolcott will join incumbents Dan Dwyer, current mayor, and Diane Bogenrieder on the seven person commission.

Dalton and Wolcott replace outgoing commissioners Gerry Sabatini and Ron Loiselle who are term limited on their third consecutive year in office. 

Wolcott will join Dwyer and Bogenrieder in serving four-year terms after receiving the second most votes in Tuesday's election. Dalton, who finished fourth, has earned a two-year term. 

[Click here to see election results]

Wolcott, who grew up in Plymouth and is now back raising his family here, said he's always been a big believer in city service. In fact, he's spent the last few years on the Downtown Development Authority, the last year as chair. 

"There was an opportunity and I felt like I could do a great job representing the 'younger' residents of Plymouth," the 31-year-old said. 

Dalton, a 23-year city resident who has spent time on the Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Commission and currently on the Economic Development/Brownfield Authority, said he hopes to use his experience as a lawyer to the benefit of the city.

"I created law firm that works with communities and developers and I have a really good background and knowledge in municipal law," he said. "I think we have a very well-rounded city, we have a terrific manager, an incredible mayor and commission, and I think I can add value through my experiences representing communities as well as pursuing them to make the city even better than what it is today."

What's next for Plymouth

Both newcomers agree on some of the big issues that will face the city in the next few years: legacy pension debt and the future of Central Middle School.

"We have significant pension liability that we need to address and it's an issue that I think we're going to have to let the legal issues play out int he City of Detroit bankruptcy to see how that all works," Dalton said. "But we want to make sure that we protect the individuals that work very hard for the city and devoted their time and their services to the city, but also protect the city's interests as well."

In addition, Wolcott says another issue facing Plymouth over the next few years is trying to find ways to increase the amount of parking downtown.

In the meantime, he's ready to get to work.

"I'm excited to get to work and be part of a pretty awesome team," Wolcott said. "Plymouth is a wonderful place to work, to live and visit. We have a pretty unique city."