About Craig

One of my primary campaign goals in 2022 was to find a way to end the problem of our Sheriff deputies leaving because of wage differences compared to surrounding departments.  I heard many times that their desire was to stay in Alcona, but the compensation was just not competitive.   As Chairman of the personnel committee, we along with the Sherriff and undersheriff were able to negotiate a comprehensive package of compensation that the both the deputies and the Board of Commissioners were able to support.  To date we have not lost any deputies to neighboring communities, and our department is very grateful for the County’s investment in them.

Another issue was the tense and somewhat dysfunctional relationship between the Veteran’s affairs board and the Board of Commissioners.  When I came back onto the Board, I specifically asked to be the liaison to the Veteran’s board.   Over several months and many meetings and conversations I helped facilitate a more productive relationship between the two boards.  When the proposed new office property was found to have some potential problems, I worked with and obtained an EGLE grant that would eventually give the property a green light for building.  We now have a new building and a Veteran’s board that is excited about what they will be able to do for the Veterans of Alcona County.

2023 brought a new set of challenges.  In July of last year, our long time Director and Senior appraiser in the Equalization department notified me that they would be retiring/resigning and beginning a new venture in a private company.  The Equalization office is mandated by State law to have a director and State certified personnel, and we were informed that these vacancies could not remain open for long.  I spent many weeks talking to State officials and helping the Board of Commissioners understand our obligations for the office.  After a thorough search and advertisement, we contracted with Northeast equalization services.  I was asked by the board to oversee the office, and felt it was important to have a good understanding of equalization.  For that reason, this past winter I enrolled in a State class and received my MCAT certification, this being the minimal required certification to work in the office.    At this time our overall costs for the office are running below previous year’s costs, and the office is operating effectively.

In 2019 as Chairman, I created the EDC committee.  A group of volunteers who had a desire to see the economy of our County advance and thrive.  We participated in several meetings and trainings and eventually settled on Broadband accessibility as being the biggest game changer for our County.  Looking back we had no idea of a pandemic or its effects on the community.  The lack of adequate broadband access in our County became glaringly obvious to schools, businesses, and everyday life.  Our committee was poised to meet that challenge providing advice and solutions to the school for connectivity.  A large amount of grant monies have now become available and through the efforts of this committee we have entered into a public/private relationship with a proven provider to bring highspeed broadband to the unserved and underserved people of Alcona County.