Mayor Patricia A. Odette
Dr. Odette served as a City Council Member for 8 years before being elected Mayor. She is active in community affairs and can be found anywhere from reading to the children to ringing the bell for the salvation army. As an active member of Kiwanis she stays involved with all of their service projects. She is the current chairperson for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life Woodhaven/ Brownstown and led one of the largest events ever held in the City of Woodhaven in 2009.
She has one daughter, Toni who is an assistant prosecutor for Wayne County.
She holds 2 bachelors degrees as well as a Doctorate degree from the National College of Chiropractic. She is a Chiropractic Physician and was chosen by the Governor to oversee the Chiropractic Profession in the state of Michigan. serving both as the vice chair to the Board of Chiropractic Examiners as well as the sub disciplinary committee.
As Mayor she has an open door policy and would like to continue to make the City of Woodhaven a desirable place in which to live, work, and play in. Her motto is simple, People First.
Councilmember Don Belcher
Councilman Don Belcher has lived in Woodhaven for 26 years. He has been a downriver resident for over 46 years. Don & his wife Dee were small business owners Downriver and owned 4 different store locations over a period of 30 years until retiring in 2012. Don is an Army veteran who served in Vietnam. He has previously served on the Woodhaven Planning Commission and City Council.
Don has been married to Dee for 45 years, have 2 children and 5 grandchildren. They are active members at Daily Church where he served as a deacon for 12 years.
Councilmember Darrel Penix
Councilmember Darrel Penix has served on the city council for 18 years and served on the Zoning Board of Appeals for four years. Darrel is married to Joan and they have five children, nine grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Since retirement after 28 years with Guardian Glass in Carleton, MI Darrel now gets a lot more of his "hobby time" in such as hunting, fishing, and golf.
He is active in his church and trained for being a first responder Chaplain and is a member of the First Responder Chaplain Association. Darrel was also recently elected to serve on the Governing Board Chapter 30,000 of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Darrel is an active member with the Woodhaven Kiwanis for last 10 years, including serving as the President for 1 year.
Mayor Pro-Tem Jan Sikes
Councilwoman Janet “Jan” Sikes Councilwoman Sikes believes her service to the community is a “calling.” A lifelong resident of Downriver and 45 years in the City of Woodhaven – she realized that there was more work to be done following a record career of 30 years in the Fire Department – 18 of those as its leader. Newly retired, she decided to run for a council position in November of 2015 and once elected to a four-year term set about to make a difference where she could best use her acquired strengths and experience.
Education played a major role in her job and she earned a Master’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management and a Bachelor of Science degree in Fire Investigation and Hazardous Materials. Additional study levels came in Fire Science and she also became a Licensed Paramedic.
Recognized for her leadership skills, she served on the Downriver Fire Investigative team for 20 years and was a member of the Federal Disaster Management Assistance (DMAT) team.
In the community, she has been involved in the Goodfellows charity organization for some 25 years; 20 of which have been as its president. She was a member of the local Rotary Club for many years.
Married to George Sikes for 46 years, he too shares her passion for service and was a member of the fire department for 36 years. The couple have four adult children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Schoolchildren throughout the district have known of her second family – several Bulldogs that she took with her to various Fire Prevention activities and local school programs. Currently, she owns “Teddy,” an English Bulldog and “Bart,” a French Bulldog.
“Woodhaven to me,” she says, is the kind of place where people do not merely ask “How are you?” as a formality. “They care about the answer, just as I do.”
Councilmember Rob Toth
Councilman Rob Toth moved to the City of Woodhaven with his parents in 1973. He and his wife Lauren have four children, and their youngest, Robbie is a student in the Woodhaven- Brownstown District. He attended Woodhaven schools through 8th grade, graduated from Gabriel Richard High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Siena Heights University in Adrian.
Rob was hired by the Woodhaven Police Department in January of 1992 and retired in July 2022 after serving the department for over 30 years. During his career he held positions as a Police Explorer Advisor, detective bureau, traffic bureau, honor guard and was a member of the SWAT team for 22 years. Throughout his career he was promoted and held every rank in the department before being appointed as Chief of Police in August 2017.
He is active in the community as a member of the Woodhaven Kiwanis, Woodhaven Moose and has coached youth sports in the City for over 20 years. He is currently a coach for the Warrior Elite Youth Football program
Email: RToth@wooodhavenmi.gov
Councilmember - Preston Abadie
Councilman Preston Abadie has lived in Woodhaven since 1991, when he moved here from Arlington, TX to marry his wife, Carol. He and Carol, have been together for 30 years and have three children and twelve grandchildren. He is an active member of the community, a member of Downriver West Kiwanis, the American Legion, and an avid dog lover.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management, with a minor in E-Commerce. He served in the Army as a Combat Medic. As a strong supporter of veterans and first responders, he understands that order and balance are necessary for a strong community.
My door is virtual, and it is open to all people of our community. I welcome your conversation and dialog, as well as your ideas and suggestions for keeping Woodhaven the strong, vibrant, and diverse community we are today.
Email: PAbadie@woodhavenmi.org
