Sep 3, 2026 · 17 min · 7 segments
In this week’s episode of Conversations with Mark, I am joined by Rosalynn Bliss, former mayor of Grand Rapids. We discuss the importance of local government, the planning required to run a…
Rosalynn BlissGuest
Mark HuizengaHost
When people talk to me, both around the state and around the country, when I go to conferences and things like that, they say things like, what makes Greenup special? And I think a lot of it has to do with that collaboration between the six cities that Yeah, there's always like, hey, a little territorial issue, but like we, I think, work as closely together to get things done as any place.
And probably when you think about Grand Rapids and the tremendous growth that it saw under your leadership, a lot of that had to do with the fact that you're willing to collaborate with anybody.
It's a collaboration that you have between agencies, with developers, and saying, let's get this done.
So what I always say when people say, because I heard the same thing, and you and I would go to a lot of the same national conferences for mayors and end up having a lot of similar conversations.
And of course, we're always comparing ourselves to other cities and metro areas throughout the country.
And I would always say, I do think collaboration in Grand Rapids, West Michigan is more genuine and authentic than I see in other areas.
I think some cities, they rave about collaboration, but they're really not doing it in an authentic way.
And I believe The reason for that is because in Grand Rapids, I do believe that collaboration is in our DNA and it all starts with the people.
It's the people who are here and who step up and who Say, I'm going to serve, and I'm going to serve because I have a love for this community, and I'm going to put community before self.
And you do walk into rooms with people from very different walks of life, and we're able to put our differences aside and come together around a shared mission.
We see that in the public sector, and we see it in the private sector, too, where they come alongside and we're able to work together.
When people talk to me, both around the state and around the country, when I go to conferences and things like that, they say things like, what makes Greenup special? And I think a lot of it has to do with that collaboration between the six cities that Yeah, there's always like, hey, a little territorial issue, but like we, I think, work as closely together to get things done as any place.
And probably when you think about Grand Rapids and the tremendous growth that it saw under your leadership, a lot of that had to do with the fact that you're willing to collaborate with anybody.
It's a collaboration that you have between agencies, with developers, and saying, let's get this done.
So what I always say when people say, because I heard the same thing, and you and I would go to a lot of the same national conferences for mayors and end up having a lot of similar conversations.
And of course, we're always comparing ourselves to other cities and metro areas throughout the country.
And I would always say, I do think collaboration in Grand Rapids, West Michigan is more genuine and authentic than I see in other areas.
I think some cities, they rave about collaboration, but they're really not doing it in an authentic way.
And I believe The reason for that is because in Grand Rapids, I do believe that collaboration is in our DNA and it all starts with the people.
It's the people who are here and who step up and who Say, I'm going to serve, and I'm going to serve because I have a love for this community, and I'm going to put community before self.
And you do walk into rooms with people from very different walks of life, and we're able to put our differences aside and come together around a shared mission.
We see that in the public sector, and we see it in the private sector, too, where they come alongside and we're able to work together.
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