I have been your drain commissioner since 2001. As drain commissioner, I am responsible for governing all legally established drainage systems within Oakland County.

Before being elected to my current position, I served for 10 years as a county commissioner, including five at the helm as chairman of the board.

During my first, four-year term, I made some sweeping changes to the conventional way of running a drain commissioner’s office, including championing the ISO 9000 certification effort. That has attracted widespread attention. In fact, under my leadership, the Oakland County Drain Office became the first facility of its kind in the nation to earn ISO certification. Since then, my office has earned certification for an ISO 14000 designation. ISO 9000 deals with quality issues, while ISO 14000 is the environmental component.

I earned my undergraduate degree in accountancy in 1979 from Walsh College in Troy. During my practice as a certified public accountant, I returned to the classroom and earned a law degree in 1988 from Detroit College of Law. I am a member of numerous water quality organizations including the American Society of Civil Engineers Standards Committee on Border International Water Quality.

I believe in keeping the citizens informed. To that end, I have been a speaker at various venues around the country and even internationally with a couple of presentations in Canada. I have also published articles about the office and the issues I face on a daily basis. To give you a better idea, I’ve listed them. I’m confident that after you review them, you’ll agree that you are being well served.