Christopher Boettcher

Facebook

LinkedIn

James Auchincloss

Buket Urgen

Local offices, school bond on the Nov. 4 ballot

Christopher Boettcher is from Grosse Pointe. He has a bachelor's degree from Western Michigan University. He lives with his wife and five sons in Grosse Pointe.

Christopher Boettcher (Mayor of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, candidate ...

Our View: Who are you voting for? - Grosse Pointe News

Christopher previously served two four-year terms on the Grosse Pointe City Council and a single two-year term as mayor.

Plans to continue improving the business corridor to increase awareness of local businesses.

Economy

Believes a lack of funding is holding back housing projects.

Housing & Urban Development

As of November 3, 2025, Christopher Boettcher did not have a website or any information online.

Public Safety

Healthcare

Plans to restore and protect the community's tree-lined streets.

Believes the Mainstreet initiative aimed to revitalize the Village through community involvement and new ideas, but only achieved limited progress with lower vacancies and minor cosmetic changes, lacking "real community engagement."

Public Services

Supports restoring and protecting the community's tree canopy.

Energy & the Environment

Believes infrastructure projects, including stormwater management and road repairs, have stalled due to lack of funding.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Education

Sheila Tomkowiak

Sheila has lived on Washington Road with her husband, George Young, since 1987. George, who grew up in Grosse Pointe Woods, was co-owner of Village Records and Tapes in The Village from 1981 to 1991. They have two grown sons, who both graduated from Grosse Pointe South. They also have three grandchildren, one of whom lives in Grosse Pointe Woods and attends Grosse Pointe Public Schools.

Sheila is the principal and creative director of Grayton Integrated Publishing, a custom publishing company. She previously worked as an adjunct journalism instructor at Wayne State University, co-founded and served as associate publisher of GrossePointeToday.com, and held various editorial roles at the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.

City mayor selected for leadership program at Harvard Kennedy ...

Sheila is currently the mayor of Grosse Pointe City. She was first elected mayor in 2019 and re-elected in 2021 and 2023. Before becoming mayor, she served on the Grosse Pointe City Council from 2016 to 2019. She was appointed to the council in 2016 to fill a vacancy and was first elected in 2017.

As mayor, maintained a balanced budget, AAA bond rating, and fully funded pension fund.

Instituted priority-based budgeting to better align the budget with community wants and needs.

Requested City staff to prepare a 3-year balanced budget instead of 3-year projections to provide a longer-term financial perspective.

Changed the bid process for road repairs to obtain lower prices and better manage scheduling.

Expanded the asset management plan to include vehicles and equipment in addition to infrastructure and roads for improved planning.

Said, "We are doing everything we can with our limited resources."

As mayor, crafted zoning revisions to comply with the revised Master Plan and best practices.

Changed zoning to allow smaller residential square footage, which led to the first residential space in The Village.

As mayor, rezoned the former school administration building at 389 St. Clair to permit adaptive reuse for housing.

As mayor, approved multi-use development on the empty lot behind the CVS parking lot.

Supports the Public Safety Department9s request to participate in the One Mind program to improve interactions between law enforcement and individuals with mental health conditions.

As mayor, received a two-year grant from the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards to fund a mental health professional to assist the crisis intervention team.

Supports the Public Safety Department9s request to take part in the One Mind program to ensure successful interactions between law enforcement and people with mental health conditions.

Supports improved customer service and park maintenance at Neff Park.

Supports adapting city facilities to accommodate more sports.

Supports extending the lease agreement with Grosse Pointe Public Schools to ensure continued city maintenance and operation of Elworthy Field.

Supports adding architecture awards to the Beautification commission to encourage residents to invest in their homes.

As mayor, increased the budget for planting new trees by 20%.

As mayor, revamped the parking lot in The Village behind CVS, adding electric vehicle chargers.

Obtained a $589,000 grant for lead water line inspections.

Improved stormwater infrastructure in The Village to alleviate flooding on Kercheval.

Believes in allocating funds for education, with 15% going to Grosse Pointe Schools and 4% to the Library.

- A mayor’s job can be different in each city, but they usually make sure city laws are followed, help create and manage the city’s budget, appoint people to boards and committees, and oversee city services like police, fire departments, parks, and public transportation.
- The mayor works with the city council and sometimes helps make decisions by voting.
- They may be elected in partisan elections or nonpartisan elections, depending on the city. 
- They are elected to a two- or four-year term, depending on the city.