Meet the Delta County District 2 Republican Primary Candidates

DELTA COUNTY, Mich. (WZMQ) — Several Delta County commissioners will face challengers in the Aug. 6 primary election, where voters will decide which names appear on the November ballot.

District 2 Commissioner Steven Viau is currently in his second year on the council.

“Instead of being part of the problem, complaining about different things as a business owner to cities, townships and counties, I thought I would be part of the solution,” he said. “I have a lot to offer and I’ve grown a lot in my life from being a complainer to being a doer.”

Viau says he is passionate about the committees he is part of and working with them on new ideas.

“I like working on some of the changes that I’m thinking about, like a rail system to transport different things in the county that are very expensive, like solid waste, to Marquette,” he said. “I have contacts in Wisconsin. I also like the opioid task force. I’m looking forward to when we can get public input to see how we can spend the little money that’s available over the next 18 years to help our community.”

In the election, Viau will face chiropractor Patrick Johnson, who served as a Delta County commissioner for eight years and as board chairman for three of those years. He said he decided to run again because of recent “turbulence” on the board.

“I don’t like to see our county in the news unless it’s for something good,” Johnson said. “I felt like things were a little more negative. I thought if I got involved again, we could make the meetings boring again.”

Johnson is proud of several accomplishments he has achieved during his tenure on the board.

“We were able to get ordinances for wind and solar,” he said. “Even though they weren’t the best for either side, I thought they were decent compromises and we moved forward in that direction. We were also able to get the jail built. The jail was a huge project. Another commissioner and I were able to go to Washington, D.C., cut through some red tape and we were able to save the county $2 million.”

By running for another term, Viau hopes to continue the work he has accomplished on the council.

“At the commission, we make the high-level policies on things that our administrator can’t handle and other department heads have a hard time understanding, and that will be handed off to us,” he said. “That’s where we work our magic, I want to say. I also want to make sure that we continue with the veterans program, that we fund them. That’s a county obligation. I know we have a tax that people vote on. I think that tax will pass, and it will make me happy to see that we are now serving our veterans who have served us.”

Johnson says he has a few goals in mind that he would work on if elected.

“The priorities are maintaining a balanced budget and setting council policy,” he said. “When we do those two things, we do well. Interest rates are up, so economic growth is going to be a key part of keeping people employed.”

Both candidates say they are also focused on county employees.

“We are constantly losing employees,” Viau said. “There has been a lot of talk about not paying them enough and not having enough benefits. I would like to start thinking about how we can retain and attract the best and most talented people to serve our employees.”

“We still have a stable pension fund in the county,” Johnson said. “We need to strengthen it further so we can keep our employees well employed and not have to lay off anyone in the future.”

Both Viau and Johnson cite their experience and knowledge of the county’s issues as reasons why they are the right choice for District 2 voters in the Republican primary.

“I know how to get things done,” Viau said. “I listen to people, I don’t promise anything to anyone, I do my research and I’m very diligent in making the right decisions because I’m the voice of the people and I represent them.”

“I have more experience,” Johnson said. “I’ve been there, so I know the history. I know where the obstacles are, so we can easily solve any problems we might have. Over the years, I’ve been able to accomplish more as far as contacts. I can always reach out and talk to a number of people, ask questions and always get good answers.”

Click here to hear from Republican District 1 primary candidates John Malnar and Sandra Skiba.