Mayor, Vice Mayor, and City Commissioners

Kalamazoo's City Commissioners are the elected representatives of the people of Kalamazoo. The Commission provides leadership and policy direction for the community and all municipal government activities.

The City Commission consists of five Commissioners, the Vice Mayor, and the Mayor. Commissioners serve staggered four-year terms, with three elected in each odd-year election. The commissioner receiving the most votes in each election serves the first two years of their term as Vice Mayor and the final two years as a commissioner after the selection of a new Vice Mayor. The Mayor is elected on a separate ticket in each election to serve a two-year term.  

David Anderson

Mayor

  • Email mayor@kalamazoocity.org
  • ProfileDavid Anderson is a graduate of Kalamazoo Central and Western Michigan University and has been a city resident for 40 years. He was first elected Mayor in 2019 after having served 14 years as a City Commissioner or Vice Mayor. He was most recently elected in 2023 for a term ending in 2025.

Jeanne Hess

Vice Mayor

  • Email hessj@kalamazoocity.org
  • ProfileCommissioner Jeanne Hess was elected in 2019 after a 35-year career as professor and chair of the Physical Education Department and Volleyball Coach at Kalamazoo College. She is also a published author and volunteers with the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission, Ministry with Community, Diaper Bank of Kalamazoo, Habitat for Humanity, United Way, and Kalamazoo Communities in Schools.

Don Cooney

City Commissioner

  • Email cooneyd@kalamazoocity.org
  • ProfileDon Cooney is serving his 11th term as a City Commissioner and 2nd term as Vice-Mayor. Cooney is an associate professor in the School of Social Work at Western Michigan University where he has taught for 45 years.

Qianna Decker

City Commissioner

  • Email deckerq@kalamazoocity.org
  • ProfileQianna Decker is a lifelong resident of Kalamazoo and a graduate of Loy Norrix High School and Kalamazoo Valley Community College. She is passionate about expanding financial literacy and creating opportunities for homeownership.

Stephanie Hoffman

City Commissioner

  • Email hoffmans@kalamazoocity.org
  • ProfileCommissioner Hoffman is committed to serving historically underrepresented and under-served community members to ensure they are treated with the dignity, respect, and love every human being deserves. She understands the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. Her passions are housing, pay equity, and anti-racism.

Chris Praedel

City Commissioner

  • Email praedelc@kalamazoocity.org
  • ProfileChris Praedel was first elected to the Kalamazoo City Commission in November 2019. He was born and raised in Kalamazoo and is a proud graduate of both Kalamazoo Central High School and Western Michigan University. Chris is especially passionate about literacy and our youth in our community.

Alonzo Wilson

City Commissioner

  • Email wilsona@kalamazoocity.org
  • ProfileAlonzo was raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan since the age of 3. He is a Kalamazoo Promise scholar who graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School and then the University of Michigan. In addition to serving as a City Commissioner, he serves on the Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo Organizing Committee and works at CSM Group as a Project Controls Specialist.