I thought today I would take an opportunity to congratulate two very special people on their marriage.  And why is this an Auburn Hills story you might ask?  Well, on Saturday, Andrew Opalewski married the love of his life, Amanda Thomas.  You see, Andrew came to the City of Auburn Hills a few years back as a marketing intern.  After doing a great job for the City as an intern, he transitioned into a full-time role with the City.  Around that same time, we recruited for our Management Assistant intern, a role we fill annually as a one-year assignment.  That year, Amanda Thomas was selected.  Although always focused on their work and committed to their employment, it certainly did become apparent that there was a little more interest between these two individuals beyond just being co-workers.  Not long after meeting Andrew here at Auburn Hills, Amanda completed her internship and moved on to another community.  Andrew’s work was recognized by a private sector company here in the community that recruited him from us.  So both of them left Auburn Hills and went their own separate ways as it related to employment, but their relationship continued and on Saturday, they were married.  I had the privilege of being invited to their wedding and celebrating their marriage with them.  Andrew has gone on to work in the private sector and Amanda has successfully remained in the public sector, now working for the City of Sterling Heights.  Not all of our Management Assistants continue on in the public sector, so we’re proud of the fact that Amanda has done so. Congratulations Amanda & Andrew.  We wish you a lifetime of happiness and for Amanda, I personally wish you a lifetime of success with your career in local government.

Tom Tanghe, City Manager