Miller challenging Bacon for county 7th district.

Miller challenging Bacon for county 7th district.

#Election2020

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

CUSTER — Two men with long histories in the eastern Mason County community are running for the seat of the 7th district of the Mason County Board of Commissioners. Republican Ron Bacon, the incumbent, is being challenged by Democrat Ed Miller. 

The 7th district includes Logan, Eden, Custer, and Branch townships, along with Sheridan Township south of Millerton Road. 

Bacon was elected to the seat in 2018. He and his wife, Tammy, have been married for 41 years. They have two adult children and five grandchildren. Bacon has lived in the Custer area his entire life. He served on Custer Village Council for 36 years and served as Custer Township supervisor for 1.5 years before being elected to county commission. 

Miller moved to Custer in 1969 and taught at Mason County Eastern Schools for 34 years, also serving a year as a building principal, 18 years as athletic director and 12 years as a coach. He and his wife, Frances, were married 47 years before she passed away in 2015. Miller has one son and two grandchildren. He is the chairman of the Mason County Democratic Party. Miller is also on the board of directors of the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame and the MCE Board of Education. 

MCP: Why are you running for re-election on the Mason County for County Commission? 

Ron Bacon

BACON: I love and am honored to serve people in my district, 7, of southeastern Mason County.

MILLER: I want to give a strong voice to the residents of the

eastern part of Mason County.

MCP: What is the role of a county commissioner? 

MILLER: I see the role of the Mason County Board of Commissioners

to pass resolutions and ordinances for the entire county, oversee the county finances, and assure that county officials carry out their duties, and provide help for residents in my district.

BACON: The county commissioners set budgets and allocations for the different departments within the county. We also set policy and guidelines for the.  We have no part of the day to day operations of them. 

Getting to know the process and the departments within the county.  Listening and learning of what it is they do.

MCP: What do you see as one of the county’s biggest challenges?

Ed Miller

MILLER: The biggest challenges of Mason County include the airport,

security at the courthouse,  and meeting the challenges of

finances and revenue sharing from the state of Michigan,  and

of course keeping the roads and infrastructure update.

BACON: Being able to keep the same services of the past with the cuts that are coming. It will be interesting to see how this pandemic shakes out with the revenue sharing cuts.

MCP: Please add additional comments if you would like? 

BACON: I have been in customer service all of my adult life.  I know what it is to have give and take realizing I may not make everyone happy.

MILLER: I have long been active in Custer community activities. After

retiring from MCE in 2003, I have served as secretary of the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors.  I also

serve on the Custer Sculpture Committee.  I also have worked

41 out of the last 47 years at Michigan State Parks, the last 14

at Ludington State Park. I am presently serving as chair of the

Mason County Democratic Party.

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals who support our service. Click on the PayPal donation button located on the top right of our website. 

This story is copyrighted © 2020, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.