Bouquet: I would like to take a few moments to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners. Serving the U.P. in the state legislature in various capacities over the past 14 years, including as senator of all 15 counties the past six, has provided me with many opportunities to work with county commissioners and there is no finer assemblage and team than we have been blessed to have in Dickinson County.

Chairman Wender taught me so much about running an efficient meeting and committee — especially the importance of utilizing sub-committees and following an agenda. Long, boring meetings due to poor organization and preparation rarely get the work done and just frustrate everyone. Commissioner Stevens is constantly studying issues and working on solutions. Commissioner Martin is a careful listener and compassionate for the community. Commissioner Kramer has been a firebrand of ideas and hard work for her years –her love and advocacy for all things Dickinson County is relentless.

Finally, my commissioner, Commissioner Degenaer: He’s served the majority of my life and been diligent and attentive to the needs of this end of the county. Last summer, he was quick to respond to the concerns many of us had regarding Lake Hamilton. He was a fierce fighter for the safety of the people of Norway on truck routes and for the senior center. No one has given more personal time, sweat, and energy to the county fair than John. Most of all, he demonstrated how being in the minority did not mean being irrelevant or give a member a reason to stop working or standing up for his beliefs.

I have said it in years past and continue to believe we have been blessed for multiple decades to have a stable board of good public servants in Dickinson County. They have kept our taxes low while offering the citizens opportunities to raise them for specific purposes. Anytime those purposes were rejected, they responsibly managed the budget without the extra funds. They have worked together to improve our airport, our parks, fairgrounds, Pinecrest, Lake Antoine, veterans’ services, Pine Mountain Ski Jump, senior services, trails, roads, and other community events and assets. They stood strong for 4-H programing and the camp as long as possible.

Certainly we have had disagreements over the years. Many of those times I learned a lot more than I knew before and became a better legislator because of their faithful investment in me.

Most of all, they were faithful public servants whether we all agreed or not. They did their duties, attended countless meetings every month, took the barbs and the praises, all for some of the smallest compensation of any county board in the state. There’s no glamour in being a commissioner here, just hard work and the satisfaction of seeing a thriving community. The four leaving office now have set the bar high for the incoming members who find a county that has been run better than most. I hope we all can thank our out-going commissioners while we help and pray for the success of our new board.