Candidate Q&A: Dane Morris for Livingston County Board of Commissioners

Patch: How long have you lived in Livingston County?

Morris: I have been a resident of Hartland for 25 years.  My three children are all graduates of Hartland Schools.

Patch: What community and civic organizations are you currently involved in?

Morris: I am the volunteer steward for the Michigan Nature Association Bullard Lake Fen, here in Hartland Township.  I monitor and help maintain this unique nature preserve.

I also participate in the Michigan Highway adoption program, and clean a stretch of M-59 here in Hartland.

I am also the Vice-President of the Livingston County chapter of the MEA-Retired, representing retired school personnel  in Livingston County.

Patch: What personal and professional experiences make you qualified to hold the position of County Commissioner?

Morris: My professional experiences give me a unique perspective that is lacking on our current Board of Commissioners.

As an elementary school teacher for 34 years, I am familiar with the needs of families and especially young children.

As President and a negotiator for the Grand Blanc Education Association, I am experienced in strategic planning, consensus building, problem solving and contract negotiations. 

My personal experience includes raising three children,and having them all attend our Hartland Schools, then going on to graduate from our fine state universities.  I know firsthand what it is like to put children through college and all the sacrifice that it entails.  My opponent, who does not have children, does not have any of this experience and seems deaf to the needs of families in Hartland.

Patch: What is the most important issue facing the county related to your position?

Morris: The most important issue facing Hartland Township residents is how to stop being a donor township to the county and getting our fair share of county tax dollars back to Hartland. 

Our current commissioner does not live in Hartland and has done nothing to rectify this imbalance of funding. Our crumbling roads and lack of county police protection can be attributed to our tax dollars going elsewhere in the county.