My County Commission Farewell Speech

I promised to post my farewell speech to the Ingham County Commission, so here it is. Nothing earth-shattering, but what I was thinking in my head and feeling in my heard. When I give a speech, I make myself bullet points. So the below is a re-creation of my speech from the bullet points that I had. It wasn't exactly this, but this was the gist of it.



Thank you for the opportunity to speak, and for the wonderful plaque.

I have been a Commissioner for 10 years. That is a little more than a third of my life. In that time, so much has happened. Both my children have been born and you have watched with me as they have gotten older. I have made a lot of friends on this board and I am proud to call you, and all the other commissioners that have come and gone, friends.

I came in in 2003 in a 5-Commissioner class: Tina Weatherwax-Grant, Dianne Holman, Marc Thomas, John Nevin and myself. Dianne will be the last and will have to represent us all!

I remember Curtis Hertel, Jr and Lisa Dedden sitting with me when I first decided to run and all the wonderful advice they gave me. We have all been through the trenches of tough campaigns. That is what binds us together, regardless of party.

I have been part of a lot of big issues on this Commission:
- road patrol
- 911 center consolidation
- road commission
- Project Labor Agreements
- living wage

All these were tough and worth the time we put into them, but the one issue that I remember the most came in my term on the board. It was the animal control and shelter issue. Anytime someone has your picture on a sandwich board that says "Andy Schor will Kill Your Pet" you remember it well. I had several mailings to my neighborhood and had neighbors asking me "what the heck is this?" I was proud to author the resolution re-creating the Animal Control Shelter Advisory Board and am glad that process is going well.

I have served many years on the Tri-County Aging Board and am proud to have helped create the Quality Care Council and provide experienced care givers. I have served on the SmartZone board and am excited for all the small businesses and entrepreneurs that have been created as a result.

As I move on to my next great endeavor in the Michigan House of Representatives, I look back on my time here on this Board and with these fine Commissioners and hope that I have made the best mark that I could for my constituents and for Ingham county. I will not forget the impact of local government on people's lives. I thank you all for your service and wish you all the best of luck.

I also thank our wonderful staff who make us look so good. Mary Lannoye, our Controller, and John Neilsen, our Deputy Controller. Jared Cypher and Teri Morton. And, of course, Becky Bennett who runs our lives and manages this commission so well.

And I would be remiss to not wish Commissioner Mark Grebner thanks on behalf of all Ingham County residents for his service the last 35 years. It will be weird to see him not on this Board.

I welcome everyone here to call me any time, and I will come by from time to time to check in and update you about the craziness at the state.

Thank you for all your good wishes and support, and really for everything for the last 10 years!