Meet Mayor Barnes
Jim Barnes has been mayor of Portland since 2003.
Jim grew up in Vassar, Michigan. His wife, Denise, grew up in Wayland, Michigan.
“One of the principal reasons why we chose to live in Portland is that it reminds us both so much of our own wonderful hometowns,” said Jim.
By day Jim works as a state investigator for the Bureau of State Lottery in Lansing. Denise has retired from a civilian position with the Michigan State Police. They have two grown children, Allison and Tom. Allison is married to Andy Pulling of Portland. They have three children, Addilynn, Anderson, and Alexandra. Tom works as a state trooper, married to Vi. They have one child, Amelia.
Jim received his education at MSU where he was graduated with a degree in criminal justice. As mayor, he works hard at keeping Portland safe and functioning well.
“My greatest challenge as mayor has been that of defining the role of mayor with regard to how the city council should guide the actions of the city manager,” said Jim. “The city council is elected by the people to assure that the city is run in the best interest of the citizenry. We make sure that the city manager does exactly that. Tutt Gorman serves as our city manager and we are very fortunate to have him. He does an outstanding job. Unlike some city managers who stay for a few years only and then move on, Tutt lives here on a permanent basis. He wants Portland to be the best city that it can be. He wants to keep Portland as a wonderful place to raise a family,” said Jim.
Jim has many fine accomplishments as mayor.
“We have been able to maintain the city culture as a great place to live,” said Jim. “We have done this by maintaining what people before us have done to make Portland the outstanding community that it is. Good roads, a dependable infrastructure, and solid utilities all contribute to the high quality of living here. We are devoted to maintaining high standards of good governance and to deliver the quality of life that our residents have come to expect,” he said.
Jim looks forward to a great future for Portland.
“We have the right people in place. They have proven that they can handle challenges such as the tornado and the flood in years past. We have an outstanding police department as well as a fine fire department and a dependable ambulance service. There is every reason to be optimistic about the future of Portland,” he said.
Citizens of Portland may contact Jim Barnes through the city internet site.
Courtesy photo.
