GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — For the first time since March 2020, the Grand Rapids City Commission met in person at City Hall on Tuesday night.
"It feels so good to me to be back in person," says Mayor Rosalynn Bliss.
Because of the pandemic, city commission meetings were held over video call.
"As a first term commissioner, I've done more virtual than in person," says Commissioner Milinda Ysasi.
She is happy to see that trend come to an end.
"Coming into the chambers, there is a sense of the immense sort of responsibility that we have as commissioners," says Ysasi, "that we have to one another and to the people of Grand Rapids that we are elected to serve."
Even though there wasn't anything huge on the agenda for the meeting, it didn't stop around 20 people from speaking face-to-face with commissioners during public comment.
"It just shows another level of commitment," says Mike Geci.
Geci came out with the group Decriminalize Nature Grand Rapids. The group advocates for the therapeutic use of psychedelic plants. He says coming in-person shows more dedication than calling in to a meeting.
"As Americans, we've become complacent," he says. "We want to show the commission that we're not complacent about this, it's really important to us and important to our communities."
Mayor Bliss says that engagement was sorely missed over the last year.
"There's a huge difference doing it over a Zoom call doing it face-to-face," says Bliss. "People are more involved in the conversation, they're more comfortable asking questions."
She hopes people continue to stay involved with their local government.
"Whether it's by phone, through the city clerk, by email, letters, we still get lots of letters in the mail," she says.
City commission meetings are typically held every other Tuesday at 7 p.m.
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