MUSKEGON, Mich. — A Muskegon woman who has served the community for decades has officially retired at the age of 90.
Rillastine Wilkins used to attend every Muskegon city council meeting. She was a concerned citizen who wanted to do more. So one day, she decided to run for city council.
She knew nothing about campaigning, and didn’t have the funds to make it fancy.
“My kids and I made some paper ballots, and we would go up and down the street and drop them off at the houses, telling people to vote for me,” said Wilkins.
Ultimately, she won, becoming the first female city council member in Muskegon in 1974 and serving for 25 years. Then in 1999, she became the city’s first black female mayor.
“It went by so fast, you know. I was young when I ran, and now I’m real old,” said Wilkins.
In 2010, she joined the Muskegon County Board of Commissioners, representing District 1. She was a woman of the people, focused on improving the quality of life for the community.
“It was just getting jobs and integrating, and making sure that black people were represented, and they worked for the city,” said Wilkins.
Now, twelve years later, the woman who dedicated her life to politics and serving others is now doing something for herself — retiring. She resigned from the board of commissioners last week.
We reached out to her fellow board members, but did not hear back. However, Rillastine says they were happy for her because they know she’s been serving for a long time.
Wilkins says she doesn’t plan to make a comeback in politics, or the workforce at all for that matter.
“I think that I'm done because at 90 years old, what can you do, you know? So I think that I'll just enjoy the rest of my life because I have worked extremely hard,” said Wilkins.
Various awards throughout her home are proof of that hard work. Now that she’s retired she plans to finally relax. First on her list is to go on vacation and visit her family in Oklahoma. Overall, Wilkins says she had a good run.
“It's been spectacular for me because of the changes that were made, and the impact that I had on some of the people in the community to change ideas,” said Wilkins. “I made a difference.”
Rillastine served a total of 45 years in the Muskegon community.
