ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Tuesday, the Delta County Board of Commissioners held its final regular meeting of the year. For two commissioners, it was also the last meeting of their terms.
District 3 Commissioner Myra Croasdell joined the board in May, defeating former commissioner Bob Barron in a recall vote. Running as a no-party candidate, Croasdell lost the November general election to Republican Christine Williams.
Steven Viau leaves the board after two years as District 2 Commissioner. He lost the Republican primary election to Patrick Johnson, who previously served on the board for eight years.
Viau’s term on the board was filled with change. He compares his experience as a new commissioner to “being thrown into a ring of fire.”
“I’ve been through the dismissal of an administrator, which was hard on me,” said Viau. “I’ve been through the hiring of an administrator that I had opposition with but was willing to support the voice of the board. There were a lot of disagreements that really got people fired up. We had turmoil at the airport.”
That “turmoil” came into public view when manager Andrea Nummilien resigned in the summer of 2023, followed by current manager Robert Ranstadler’s announcement of an “administrative crisis” that December. With Ranstadler submitting his own resignation earlier this month and expressing concerns about the way the Airport Advisory Board operates, Viau feels he still doesn’t have all the answers regarding the situation.
“I hate to leave without knowing the truth of issues that were happening there,” he said. “I can see now a pattern with our great airport manager that this is stuff that has been systemic over the years. I’m going to miss not being part of the investigation, asking some of the hard questions, even though it was tough and I didn’t agree with everything that happened. I also made mistakes; I admit that. I learned to put them in the past and move forward.”
As he looks back on his work on the County Board of Commissioners, Viau says he is most proud of his service to the community.
“I had to listen to my constituents, and I really followed through,” he said. “What they portrayed to me, their wisdom, I tried to put it all together to represent the County as best as I could. My main focus every time I went to a meeting is to do what was good for the people and try not to hurt anybody.”
Viau has confidence in the board’s ability to continue the work of the County after his departure. He says he is grateful for the experiences he’s had and the connections he’s made as a commissioner.
“I’ve met so many people, so many good leaders,” said Viau. “[There are] so many relationships that I have built that I realize I can count on for years if I have an issue or need advice from somebody that can give me some good answers. I would recommend anyone to run for office if they can stand the pressures. I’m just proud to be where I am today and look forward to what the future brings for me.”
Williams and Johnson will be sworn into office on Thursday. Croasdell declined WZMQ 19’s request for comment.
