Wally Whipple of Royal Oak Was Watchdog of City Government

Mayor Jim Ellision and other Royal Oak leaders on Monday recalled Wally Whipple as a well-known watchdog of city government from the late 1980s into the 2000s.

City Commissioner Mike Andrzejak eulogized Whipple, who died on Sept. 25, for his dedication to Royal Oak, the city Andrzejak said Whipple,  “loved so much.” Whipple was 88 years old.

Commissioner David Poulton, in his invocation, and former Commissioner Laura Harrison and commission candidate Bill Shaw also remembered Whipple in public comments.

Whipple was a longtime letter (to the editor) writer until he got his own column in the The Mirror of Royal Oak in the mid-'90s. Editor John Schultz said of him: "Wally had a lot of inside information on the schools and the city and not everyone liked his point of view, but they certainly read his column every week. He was controversial, but usually right on about what was happening at the time."

You can see video of Andrzejak and others remarks on the city's website.