Historical Committee member named to fill Grosse Pointe Woods City Council vacancy

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Out of a field of 25 applicants, the Grosse Pointe Woods City Council has selected the person who will be joining it at the council table.

Jim Motschall Jr. was appointed by the council to fill a vacancy left by the death of City Councilman Thomas Vaughn in May. The council voted 6-0 during a meeting Oct. 21 to approve Motschall as the new council member. He was then sworn in by City Clerk Paul Antolin.

Motschall will serve out the rest of Vaughn’s term, which had been slated to expire in November 2025.

Motschall is a familiar presence in the city, having served as treasurer of the Woods Historical Committee for the last 10 years. In this capacity, he was the master of ceremonies for the city’s annual Memorial Day service, which seems fitting, since Motschall will mark his 75th birthday on Nov. 11 — Veterans Day.

“I’m really thrilled,” Motschall said of his appointment. “I love Grosse Pointe Woods. I’m looking forward to making it a stronger community.”

Motschall is a lifelong Grosse Pointer who grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms and has lived in the Woods since 1996. He said he has wanted to serve on the council for a number of years now and applied to fill another vacant seat about three or four years ago.

The council whittled down the field of candidates to three finalists — Motschall, Dave Andrews and John Schulte — while sitting as the Committee of the Whole Oct. 7. They then used ranked choice voting to select Motschall, with each council member naming their first, second and third choices; the candidate with the lowest score became the finalist.

“I know all three of these people,” City Councilwoman Vicki Granger said Oct. 7. “Any one of these gentlemen would serve the council and the community well.”

Mayor Arthur Bryant agreed, adding that Motschall “would definitely be a good choice” because of his Historical Committee experience.

Some council members said the city was lucky to have many strong candidates.

“(I’m) so grateful for the depth of talent and the richness of experience,” City Councilwoman Angela Coletti Brown said.

City Councilman Kenneth Gafa echoed that sentiment.

“All of these candidates are phenomenal residents,” Gafa said.

Bryant was among the officials who encouraged the other applicants to get involved in the city, if they weren’t already on a committee or commission.

“I hope we see more of these people,” Brown said.

As far as his goals, Motschall said he wants to continue the progress that’s been made in recent years in everything from upgrading the parks to beautifying Mack Avenue. He said he wants to make the Woods “the favorite community to live in.”

“I want to keep making the city better and better,” Motschall said.

Motschall, who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, is currently an executive salesperson for Janssen Refrigeration Co.

Because he has been named to serve on council, Motschall had to resign from the Historical Committee. He said he’ll miss his fellow committee members.