Bruder elected chairman of five-member county board
The winds of change were blowing Monday (Jan. 6) morning as the new five member Presque Isle County Board of Commissionerw met for the first time in 2003. First and foremost, a new chairman was elected. Allan Bruder, the longest serving commissioner, who ran uncontested in District 2, was elected chairman by a vote of 3-2. He has been serving county constituents for 12 years, two of those as chairman. Bruder was nominated by commissioner Gary Wozniak.
Receiving two votes was commissioner Mike Darga, who was nominated by commissioner Don Field. Nominations were closed with only two candidates.
WITH BRUDER voting for himself, and votes from Wozniak and commissioner Bob Schell, the gavel belonged to Bruder for the next year. He was the chairman in the late 1990s. Field and Darga voted for Darga. ?We have a good board,? Bruder summarized. ?I think we?ll have to work more.? The board was reduced from eight when the apportionment committee met in the summer of 2001.
?That means we?ll have to work better together,? said Bruder. ?I?m basically retired so I have more time to devote to this. I plan to devote whatever time it takes…? With the role of chair decided, the first order of business for Bruder was to elect a vice chairman and that role will be continued by Wozniak, who received a 3-2 majority. Wozniak was nominated by Schell, and with Wozniak voting for himself, and support from Bruder, there were no changes in that position. Field nominated Darga.
TWO APPROVED changes were meeting times and an added agenda item at regular board meetings. There is no change in the meeting dates; they will still be the second Wednesday and last Friday of the month. But the evening meeting will be half an hour earlier at 7 p.m. instead of 7:30 p.m. The change comes about at the insistence of commissioner Field, who asked if there would be an
Bruder also received approval from fellow board members in allowing elected and serving government officials, such as representatives from the townships, to address the board. After a five-minute break to discuss committee appointments, Bruder was prepared to present his recommendations, which included all three former commissioners who were squeezed out because of re-apportionment.
