Warren Mayor Mark Steenbergh is facing another tough obstacle as he's scheduled to undergo brain surgery on Monday.

Doctors at Providence Hospital will be operating on Steenbergh's brain to correct a problem that has interfered with his hearing for years.

The mayor's brain is essentially falling down into his ear cavities, according to a city spokesperson. The surgeons will reportedly insert a barrier below the brain to stop its descent and protect him from life threatening conditions such as meningitis -- an infection of the fluid of a person's spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds the brain.

"I have a great deal of faith and confidence in these doctors," Steenbergh said. "They have handled dozens of operations such as this."

The surgery is expected to last six hours. Steenbergh (pictured, left) is expected to spend four days in the hospital recuperating.

A city spokesperson said the mayor will likely take a week or two vacation after surgery to spend with his wife, Lisa, and their newborn daughter, Chloe Jane.

"I just hope all residents of Warren can say a prayer for me as I go through this surgery," said Steenbergh. "Afterward, I will be looking forward to getting back to work."

The Warren mayor has undergone some trying times in recent years, with the separation from his former wife of 20 years and a federal investigation into alleged corruption in the city government.

In 1997, he was accused of striking a black teenager and making racist remarks. He was later exonerated.

His teenage son, Mark Steenbergh Jr., was involved in a vandalism incident at a construction site in the city. That case ended with restitution and probation for the younger Steenbergh.

Steenbergh previously went through hip replacement surgery.

Steenbergh was first elected to office on Nov. 7, 1995 and won reelection in 1999 and -- in a landslide victory -- on Nov. 8, 2003.