Last week, the Ingham County Board of Commissioners appointed Dennis Louney to represent the county’s tenth district on Lansing’s east side. The vacancy had been created by the resignation of Brian McGrain, who now runs the economic development and planning department in the city of Lansing.
He has worked for Democrats in the state House and Senate, and currently is a public affairs representative with the Spicer Group engineering firm. The new county commissioner serves on the Lansing Board of Water and Light board and is chairman of the Mid-Michigan Environmental Action Council. He says he intends to run for the seat in November.
Louney tells WKAR’s Scott Pohl that when it comes to listening to his constituents, McGrain has been a role model. "To me, that's the ultimate job of anyone who's in positions like this," Louney explains. "You're there to help represent people, but you're also there to make them aware and educate them as to how can you engage them in goverment and make sure they're respected. Brian did a great job with that."
Louney sees the condition of the Ingham County justice complex and the jail as a challenge facing commissioners. He's also concerned with the future of the Ingham County Health Plan and the county's pension liabilities.