Mayor Tom Tourville

Commissioner Tourville and his wife Patti have two children: Dennis and Katie. He graduated from Marquette Senior High School in 1972 and earned a degree in electrical engineering from Michigan Tech in 1976. His first career included 15 years as a scientist with Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas. He returned to Marquette in 1991 to pursue a second career and to raise a family. He is the second-generation owner and builder of Tourville Apartments, a long-standing family business. Tourville served 10 years on the Marquette City Planning Commission, three years as chair. His involvement in othercommunity groups includes the Marquette City Investment Advisory Board, along with serving on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, Home Builders Association, Kiwanis, Propylon, and the Marquette Area School District's technology committees. Currently Commissioner Tourville serves as a Marquette County Ambassador and sits on the board of directors for the U.P. Children's Museum and the Marquette Area Fourth of July Committee.

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Mayor Pro-tem Mike Coyne

Commissioner Coyne has a long history of public service to the community. He served as a city commissioner for six and a half years during the 1980s, including service as Mayor in 1985, 1987 and 1989. In 2005, he was elected for a three-year term. He practiced Rehabilitation Medicine for 28 years in Marquette. A retired physician (as a specialist in rehabilitation medicine), he served in the U.S. HPS for three years as a family doctor on three Native American reservations. After returning to the Upper Peninsula in 1969, he became very active in community affairs and served on the founding boards of the Marquette Community Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and Propylon. He was on the Peter White Public Library Board of Trustees for 10 years and currently holds the post of vice president of the Bay Cliff Board of Directors. He and his wife of 44 years, Emily, have five grown children. He enjoys skiing, golf, traveling, moose hunting, canoeing, sailing, fly fishing, playing with grandchildren, reading, bird watching and community service.

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Commissioner John DePetro

Commissioner DePetro is a newcomer to the Marquette City Commission, elected in November 2005. A lifelong resident of Marquette, he attended both St. Michael’s Grade School and Bishop Baraga High School; he also is a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church. He joined the U.S. Navy in September 1965 and served two tours of duty in Vietnam before being honorably discharged in September 1969. He began his employment with the City of Marquette in April 1973, where he worked as a heavy equipment operator. After more than 32 years of service to the City, he retired in June 2004. An active member of the Men’s Senior Hockey League since 1972, he also volunteers at Marquette Junior Hockey tournaments. He serves in a number of community organizations including the American Legion, Marquette Elks, Negaunee VFW and Vietnam Veterans of Negaunee, where he serves as a Chapter Color Guard. A former fireman and previous member of the Marquette Traffic and Parking Committee, he now enjoys League Cribbage along with his numerous other activities. He and his wife Joyce have one son, Nick, who attends Northern Michigan University.

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Commissioner John Kivela

John Kivela was born and raised in Marquette, and has been a businessman in the community for several years. Prior to joining the Commission, he served on the Board of Zoning Appeals from 2000-2006. He was elected as chair of the BZA from 2002-2006. Over the years he’s also been an active member in the Rotary Club of Marquette, the Upper Michigan Builders Association, and the Marquette Elks Lodge, as well as serving on the U.P. Children’s Museum Board of Directors. He and his wife Sandy have two children: Shelby and Andrew. The family also includes their “real cool dog named Maxx.” He can be reached via e-mail at jkivela@mqtcty.org.

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Commissioner Joseph Lavey

Residents of Marquette first elected Joe Lavey to the Marquette City Commission in 2002; he was re-elected in November 2002 and again in November 2005, when his fellow Commissioners selected him as Mayor Pro-tem. He is an attorney in private practice in Marquette. He served as past board member of the YMCA of Marquette County and the Recipients Rights Advisory Committee for Alger-Marquette Community Mental Healthy (now Pathways community Mental Health). In high school, Lavey placed third in the state in wrestling; as a sophomore at MSU, he took second in the nation in Olympic-style weightlifting. He is a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church and serves there as a lector. He and his wife, Mary Swift, have two daughters, Meagan and Devin.

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Commissioner Beth Linna

Commissioner Linna is another newcomer to the Marquette City Commission but she’s been very active in community service for a number of years. Prior to her election to the commission in November 2005, she served two terms on the Marquette Area Public Schools (MAPS) Board of Education (July 1997-November 2005). On the MAPS Board, she served as vice president three times and also has been a member of the negotiating team for several contracts. She holds a degree in elementary education from Northern Michigan University and works at Small Fryes Daycare, providing care for children from birth to early elementary ages. She grew up in the Skandia area and has been a Marquette resident since 1978. Her husband, Larry, works for the City of Marquette as a utility inspector. The couple has two children: Hans, an NMU student, and Elsa, a student at Marquette High.

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