Voters in six of Lenawee County's nine districts have contested races in this year's county commissioner primary elections.
The Daily Telegram sent questionnaires to the candidates in the contested races. Below are the responses from incumbent commissioner Dustin Krasny and former commissioner John Lapham, both of Cambridge Township, who are seeking the Republican Party nomination for county commissioner in District 2. Their responses are printed as provided, though they may have been edited for clarity or truncated if the answers exceeded the given word limits.
District 2 covers Cambridge, Rome and Woodstock townships, including Onsted, Cement City and the part of Addison that is in Woodstock Township.
There are no Democratic Party candidates.
Profiles of the other candidates in contested primaries will be published over the next few days.
The uncontested primaries are in District 1, where incumbent Republican commissioner David Stimpson of Tecumseh and Democrat Bill Swift of Tecumseh have filed; District 6, where incumbent Republican commissioner Terry Collins of Adrian and Democrat Andrew Winckles of Adrian are running; and District 9, where incumbent Republican commissioner Jim Van Doren of Tipton and Democrat Jeff DiCenzo of Adrian Township are running.
In-person voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6. For all precincts in District 2, early voting will run from July 27 to Aug. 4, including weekends, at the Human Services Building, 1040 S. Winter St. in Adrian. Those hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Absentee ballots may be requested from township clerks.
County commissioners elected in November will serve four-year terms. That is a statewide change with this year's election. The terms begin Jan. 1.
Dustin Krasny
Age: 42
Occupation: loving husband, father and public servant
Spouse/kids: Wife, Jennifer, and 7-year-old son
Government experience: 17 years U.S. House of Representatives (district director of operations for Rep. Tim Walberg); three years Lenawee County Board of Commissioners District 2, current vice chair of board of commissioners, chairman of IT and Equalization Committee, chairman of Physical Resources Committee, member of Criminal Justice Committee.
Volunteer/community service experience: Lenawee County Boys & Girls Club, 2021-present; Adrian College board of trustees, 2023-present; Michigan Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs 2023-present; Lenawee County Republican Party, 2010-present (master of ceremonies of annual dinner on a few occasions); Lenawee County GOP precinct delegate.
Why are you running for this position? I love our community and I want to continue to lead and represent Cambridge, Rome and Woodstock townships on the county commission. I am running for reelection to continue the progress we have made to make county government more transparent, accountable and responsive to all residents of Lenawee County.
What do you think is the main challenge facing the county, and what should be done about it? We need to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars we are entrusted with. Using these dollars, we should be making investments into law enforcement and first responders making our community safer for our residents. We should be looking at commonsense approaches to bring good-paying jobs back to Lenawee which will help our communities grow and prosper. Pro-growth economic solutions will lift up our residents and unite families by keeping kids and grandkids in the area. By reducing overreaching government regulations and reducing the tax burden for families and small businesses, a better future for Lenawee is possible.
Why should people vote for you? As a commissioner, I helped stopped the failed Project Phoenix sports facility boondoggle in Tecumseh. The commission voted to buy the Tecumseh Products site for $2.3 million dollars. An official county appraisal that the property is actually valued at around $400,000. I helped stop the county government social media surveillance program which was a waste of taxpayers dollars. We also made our meetings available to be viewed online and an improved website so we were able to make government more transparent. The candidate running against me voted for Project Phoenix before resigning from office — the choice is clear.
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John D. Lapham
Age: 46
Occupation: financial adviser
Spouse/kids: None
Government experience: I previously served as the Lenawee County commissioner for District 2 for six years from 2015 through 2021. During that time, I served on several committees and boards within Lenawee County’s government including Department on Aging; Maurice Spear Campus; executive committee for Maurice Spear; Airport Commission; Community Mental Health Authority and its retirement, personnel and performance improvement committees; Parks & Recreation Commission; Substance Use Disorder Oversight Policy Board; IT and Equalization; Rules and Appointments; and Personnel/Ways and Means. I also served as board liaison to the Department of Health & Human Services and Lenawee Medical Care Facility. I served as the chairman of the Policies and Procedures Committee, the chairman of the Physical Resources Committee as well as the vice chairman for the Criminal Justice Committee.
Volunteer/community service experience: I have been a member of the Onsted Kiwanis for 10 years, assisting with their many fundraising events that have helped hundreds of local families and students. As vice president of the Onsted Kiwanis for the past eight years, we have worked together to help students gain scholarships, provided essential funds to disadvantaged families, and assisted in funding for the local arts and Scouts programs. Previously, I was the treasurer for Communities in Schools of Lenawee where we worked with the community to raise funds for local school programs.
Why are you running for this position? I want to continue to give back to my community, and I believe I did that most during my time as the previous county commissioner for District 2. I have had many Lenawee County residents as well as several Lenawee County government officials reach out to show their support. (Editor’s note: answer truncated.)
What do you think is the main challenge facing the county, and what should be done about it? I see a separation within the current board of county commissioners. With strategic team building, I believe I can help bring unity back to the commission. When I served from 2015 to 2021, we worked together as a team. We overcame obstacles and indifferences to achieve goals that benefited our community.
— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.
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