CORRECTED: Longtime Allegan County Commissioner Don Black will not seek reelection next year and is hoping to encourage others to replace him.
To do so, he planned a pair of local question-and-answer sessions to which the public was invited.
“The main goal is to answer questions, primarily,” he said of the sessions. “About running for commissioner but also running for any public office."
He said he wanted to encourage others to consider serving their community and also encourage their friends to look into public office.
“I want to help them understand the time commitment,” Black said, in addition to any other aspect of the job they may be interested in.
He said there were many reasons to run for office, including people using their God-given call to service, putting their gifts and talents to good use.
Black said, “I’m just trying to be proactive.”
He said he has begun hearing from several who have shown some interest. The meeting at Martin’s JC Wheeler Public Library is tonight at 6 p.m.
The second meeting will be Thursday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. at Ransom District Library, 180 S. Sherwood Ave.
Black represents District 7, which includes Wayland, Martin and Gun Plain townships, Martin village and Plainwell city.
“If time allows, I will share a few stories,” Black said. “Once I was asked if I would share my best and my worst experience serving the public. I agreed. The man said, ‘Tell me the worst experience first.’”
Black served on the board since 1998 and has been the board’s vice chair and served on a wide variety of subcommittees. He said he announced in June his intention to not seek reelection specifically to give others a chance to consider running.
Black lives in Wayland Township with his wife Clair. He has three sons, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Editor's note: This story initially said Black was stepping down early; he is not. He will serve the remainder of his term, which ends at the end of December 2018.
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