Former Kentwood Mayor Dies Days After Leaving Office.

Sad news over the weekend from Kentwood. Former Mayor Richard Root passed away on Friday night after a long battle with melanoma. Root was diagnosed over three years ago, and just had stepped down as Mayor this past week. The new mayor of Kentwood, Richard Clanton, was sworn into office Tuesday.

Root was both Mayor and City Manager of Kentwood for almost 10 years. Root served the city for over 30 years, as a planning commissioner, then city commissioner, before becoming mayor in 2003.

WZZM TV 13 had a nice report about the former Mayor.