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ALPENA - According to County Administrator Jesse Osmer, there are many committee seats on various Alpena County committees that have not received any interest from community members. He says that some committees gain more interest than others, and that people may be weary of getting involved with local government.
Below are the county committees with vacant seats:
- Opioid Remediation Steering Committee
- Parks & Recreation Commission
- Planning Commission
- Veterans Affairs
- Central Dispatch Committee
- Library Board of Trustees
- Alpena County Road Commission
- Health & Human Services Committee
Applications are due by Friday and can be dropped off at the Alpena County Board of Commissioners Office, at the Alpena County Courthouse, or via email at commissionersoffice@alpenacounty.org.
Applications can be found at alpenacounty.org.
Osmer explained that the Library Board of Trustees, Alpena County Road Commission, and the Health & Human Services committees have not received any applications as of Friday.
He said that he believes that interest from community members shifts through the years, resulting in more applications for some committees over the others. However, he added that he believes that the landscape of government -- on the federal, state, and local levels -- has deterred community members from getting involved with politics, no matter the position.
"It seems like we hit a point this time of year, certain committees will get all the interest," he said. "There may be hesitation from individuals, if you turn on the news ... it tends to be such a negative energy around government. They don't want to bring that negativity into their personal life."
He added that committee seats are not as high stakes and not all aspects of government "bring that energy."
Osmer said he is encouraging community members to consider serving their community in a meaningful and impactful way while also learning about local government.
"We hope to see individuals who might be interested in getting involved in local government apply for one or more of these positions," he said. "Serving in this capacity is a great way to give back to your community while also learning more about the work we do at the county-level."
Below are all the vacancies for committee seats:
- Alpena County Central Dispatch (2-year term)
- Alpena County Library Board (5-year term)
- Alpena County Older Persons Committee (4-year term)
- Alpena County Parks and Recreation Commission (3-year term)
- Alpena County Road Commission (6-year term)
- Alpena County Veterans Affairs Board (4-year term)
- Alpena County Youth and Recreation Committee (4-year term)
- Department of Human Services Board (3-year term)
- Northeast Michigan Community Mental Health Board (3-year term)
- Opioid Steering Committee (2-year term)
- Planning Commission (Citizen at Large) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Business & Industry) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Transportation, Public Works & Safety) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Agriculture, Forestry & Land Use) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Community & Economic Development) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Environment & Natural Resources) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Tourism & Recreation) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Arts, Culture & Entertainment) (3-year term)
- Planning Commission (Public Health & Human Services) (3-year term)
Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.