Suits a dedicated public servant

Lowell Suits dedicated 38 years of his life to public service. 

Now, he will enjoy his retirement.

Suits has retired from zoning administrator for the village of St. Joseph. 

“I am glad the things I did were good for the city,” Suits said. “I worked for some good boards and good secretaries.” 

Suits also enjoyed working with Village Administrator Joe Hackney.

“Joe was a good hire,” he said. 

Suits was recruited by former Mayor BJ Hackler in September 1987. Suits said he was motivated to take the job because his previous experience with village zoning.

He was building his home in St. Joseph and came home after work. Standing in his front yard was Hackler and the entire village board. The house was framed but still needed a roof.

Some board members had complaints about the set backs. 

The set backs were correct. 

“I didn’t want this to happen to anyone else,” Suits said. “I didn’t want anyone else to go through what I went through.” 

Hackler allowed Suits to have an up close and personal look at St. Joseph as it grew. 

Suits said St. Joseph grew responsibly, unlike other towns. 

“We did it in small portions,” he said. 

The job involved more research than people may have expected, Suits said. He often had to find measurements on old maps and look at old records to find how things should have been done. Sometimes he would be on build sites at 9 p.m. measuring setbacks in the dark.

However, Suits occasionally  went against the regulations to see both sides of an issue.

“I never had anyone get upset with me,” he said. “It all worked out in the end.” 

Sometimes he would even give advice to the builders.

“A garage can’t be big enough, a shed can’t be big enough, put a sump pump in and put a drain in your garage floor,” he said. 

Suits said health issues are behind his retirement but the technology changes that have come with the job have also been challenging.

“People text instead of call, I don’t do e-email,” he said.

He said he expects the process to become more automated. 

Hackney said Suits’ job was one of the most “quietly impactful roles” in the municipality. 

“It’s a job that helps shape the physical layout, functionality, and character of a town,” he said. “It’s not always easy to see, at first glance, why permitting is necessary or why zoning rules matter. But without a strong permitting and zoning process, communities can quickly run into problems: properties may get developed in ways that encroach on others and what starts as a small oversight can become a major nuisance in neighborhoods where homes—the largest investment most people make—are nestled so closely together. What your neighbor does on their property can directly affect you.”

Hackney said that is why village administrator is such a critical position. It balances personal property rights and the collective good of the community and navigating that can sometimes be challenging.

“Lowell has a way of making people feel appreciated, even when helping them through something as complicated—and sometimes frustrating—as the building permit process,” he said.  “He is a kind man, and I have no doubt that our residents have experienced that over his 38 years.  St. Joseph is better off because of Lowell’s service, and his impact will continue to be felt as the community continues to strive for growth that is complimentary of its current character.”

While the decision to retire was a difficult one, Suits’ wife, Micki, said it was one he came to alone.
“He had been talking about it for a year or more,” she said. “I told him I would support him and he had to decide.”

So decide he did. 

In addition to zoning administrator, Suits served as a baseball coach and on the school board.

Making a difference in the lives of those around him was important to him. 

Whether it was serving eight years on the school board, coaching and organizing youth sports or working for 38 years as the village’s zoning administrator, Suits wanted to serve. 

And serve he did.