Mayor Roberts has been a resident of Walled Lake since 1954. In April 1968, he was elected to the City Council becoming the youngest local elected official in Michigan and one of the youngest in the country. In 1973, he was elected Mayor and served until 1977 when he chose not to seek re-election. Roberts was elected to the Council in 1979 and re-elected in1983. He served two terms as Mayor Pro-tem.
In April 1986, Roberts’ successor, Mayor Gaspre LaMarca died and Roberts was appointed as Mayor. He was elected in Nov. 1986, and re-elected in 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2005. Bill is a member of the Walled Lake Downtown Development Authority, and serves on its Executive Committee. In January 2002, Roberts became dean of municipal officials in Oakland County.
Bill is Walled Lake’s Delegate to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and serves on SEMCOG’s Executive Committee as a representative from Oakland County City-Village Caucus. Mayor Roberts became the Chairperson of SEMCOG in June 2007 and previously was a Vice Chairman from October 2004, and served as First Vice Chairperson from June 2006 until he became Chairperson. Roberts served as the Chairman of the SEMCOG City-Village Bloc Caucus and as a member of the Nominating Committee from 1995-2005. He is a representative to the Transportation Improvement Planning Development Committee, the Data Advisory Council and the Bylaws and Legal Committee. He also has served as a member of the Transportation Advisory Council, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition. Roberts participates in the National Association of Regional Councils.
Roberts is a member and Vice Chairperson of the Michigan Municipal League’s Transportation Committee and previously served on the Transportation and Environment Committee, and was appointed to serve on the League’s Legislative Governance Committee. He is Walled Lake’s Legislative Director On the national level, Bill is a member of the National League of Cities Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee.
From 1991 to 2006, he served as Walled Lake’s representative to the Western Oakland County Cable Communications Authority, a consortium of nine communities where he served two terms as Vice Chairperson and one as Chairperson. Previously, he had been the alternate to WOCCCA.
Mayor Roberts has worked for numerous improvements over the years including the installation of a city-wide municipal water and sewer systems, paving of all city streets, the widening of Maple Road and Pontiac Trail, the Maple Road extension, streetscape improvements and many others including the redevelopment and improvement of existing structures. He was a strong supporter of the creation of the Downtown Development Authority.
Bill is employed by Seniors Unlimited, Inc./VIP Adventures as a Group Tour Sales Consultant. He is active in St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, serving on the Bishop’s Committee and as a Worship Leader, Lay Preacher and Eucharistic Minister. He is also a member of St. Anne’s Total Ministry Team. He and his wife Alicia reside at 584 East Walled Lake Drive.