It was mission - almost - accomplished for outgoing Ferndale Mayor Craig Covey in his farewell speech Tuesday.

Covey, who is resigning Jan. 3 to become the area's Oakland County Commissioner, said he completed a good deal of his agenda during his four years as mayor and 11 years on the city council.

Yet, the mayor also pointed to some unfinished business and tough challenges ahead.

"The truth is, however, that nearly all of the things that I had wanted to accomplish for the city when I first ran for city council have been completed," Covey said during Tuesday's city council meeting, his last as mayor.

At the top of the list is Ferndale's reputation as an "open, welcoming, safe, diverse and fun" city, a particularly goal for Covey as Michigan's only openly gay mayor.

Estimated at 20 percent of the city's voting population, Ferndale's gay community has become an "integral part of the fabric of the city," said Covey, a key supporter of the city's 2006 human rights ordinance.

"They took a chance on Ferndale," the mayor said. "They fixed up their homes, opened up and supported businesses, joined in volunteerism on boards and commissions."

Covey also praised the seniors "who stuck by her" in the days before Ferndale's decade long revival as well as the families now moving into the city of roughly 22,000.

When Covey first moved to the city in the 1980s, he said, the city was home to both an X-rated movie theater and massage parlor, two types of businesses now gone from the city.

Instead, he said, the city has come alive with a series of downtown festivals and events, including the Ferndale Blues Festival, the city ice festival and the Motor City Gay Pride event, among many others.

"He's really helped make it a city that's open to all," said longtime supporter Julia Music. "With all the festivals and events he's brought downtown families love to come to Ferndale even if it's only for a weekend."

While praising mayoral predecessors Chuck Goedert and Robert Porter, Covey also listed Ferndale's business revival as a key accomplishment.

"He understands and listens to business," said Christine Hughes, marketing and communications director for the Ferndale Downtown Development Authority.

But there were a few items left off the list.

Covey said it saddened him that he couldn't achieve funding for a new 43^rd District Court building.

He also expressed disappointment at the lack of a Woodward Avenue crosswalk in the downtown area.

Despite an improving economy, Covey warned that tough financial times still lie ahead.

City unions "must share in the current pain and understand that business as usual is no longer possible," Covey said in reference to future negotiations.

Covey will be succeeded by Mayor Pro Tem Kate Baker.

"Let's keep in touch," Baker said, noting that Covey would only a phone call away in his new office at the county complex in Pontiac.

Asked to assess Covey's impact on the city, longtime resident Jeannie Davis put it this way:

"Mayors Goedert and Porter were the bread and butter (of Ferndale's revival)," she said. "But he was the jam on top."

And jam they did.

Covey was serenaded both by the Detroit Together Men's Chorus  and blues guitarist Billy Murray - a personal favorite of the mayor - before Covey and supporters embarked on a celebratory night on the town.

"Some of us don't have to get up early tomorrow," the soon-to-be ex-mayor said.