Recognizing Mandy Grewal's Leadership and Service to Pittsfield Township

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mandy Grewal, Supervisor of Pittsfield Charter Township, Michigan, on the occasion of her retirement. Her decades of public service to the residents of Pittsfield Township and Washtenaw County are worthy of commendation.

Mandy was born in Chandigarh, India as the youngest of three children. Her father, a Brigadier General in the Indian Army who she describes as the ``original feminist'', and her mother encouraged Mandy and her sister, in the early 1990's, to move to the United States so they could pursue their graduate studies. Mandy graduated with a Master's degree in Development, Trade & Planning from Eastern Michigan University. She went on to work as an Institutional Research Analyst at EMU before moving to the Great Lakes Commission where she found her passion for environmental preservation. This led to her pursuing a doctoral degree in Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.

After graduating with her doctoral degree in 2004, Mandy became active with the Washtenaw County Democratic Party and was appointed to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners in April 2006. Mandy campaigned for her first election later that year and was elected to the position of Pittsfield Charter Township Supervisor. She was the first woman and first person of color elected to the township supervisor's position and said she is proud to have been a part of a diversification of the township board, now majority women and among the most racially diverse elected bodies in the county.

Along with cultivating a culture of team work at Township Hall, Mandy credits her many successes to the partnerships she nurtured in the community, not just with Pittsfield residents but also through her civic engagement at Ann Arbor SPARK, Michigan Association of Planning, Washtenaw Area Transportation Study, Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, SAFE House Center, Therapeutic Riding Inc., Urban County, and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. Some notable accomplishments under her tenure include pioneering multimodal transportation in the Township by installing connecting sidewalks, bike lanes, and improving public transportation. She also was crucial in Canton acquiring over $60 million in grant funding to push through such legacy projects as the Public Safety Building improvements and Michigan Avenue reconstruction. Outside of her position as Supervisor, Mandy serves as Chairperson of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) where she is also a member of both the Executive Committee and the Finance & Budget Committee. In 2021, she was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Michigan Municipal Services Authority and in 2022 was appointed to the Board of the Michigan Planning Association.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today to celebrate the tremendous career of Mandy Grewal. Under Mandy's leadership, Pittsfield Township has become an example of how inclusive, respectful, and transparent planning practices, undertaken with patience and consistency, can yield a physical and cultural landscape that is both sustainable and equitable. I thank Mandy and we are excited to see what she accomplishes in her next chapter.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source