QUOTE
Three vying for commission seat
By Matt Fritz
Published: Monday, January 25, 2010 8:14 AM CST
Staff writer
LA PORTE — Running for the Democratic nomination for the County Commissioner District 1 are James T. LaRocco and Willie Milsap. Seeking the Republican nomination for the seat is Keith A Harris.
LaRocco, of Michigan City, said he has been a precinct committee man, a delegate to the state convention, served four years on the La Porte County Election Board, was the past president of numerous democratic clubs and worked on numerous city, county, state and federal campaigns. He said he’s also served on the mayor’s select committee in Michigan City for the Department of Annexations, and has been on several other committees.
LaRocco said he’s running “because I’ve spent the last year traveling around the county and people don’t feel they are getting the representation they want.”
He explained that many of the people in office were there for their own personal agenda or special interest.
“I will represent their best interests and not special interests,” he said. “I’ll represent what the people want. So many times (people in office) forget who exactly put them there. I’ll be the voice of the average citizen, not a special interest group.”
His dad, Joe, was a former mayor of Michigan City, a city councilman and a school board member. James graduated from Elston High School in Michigan City in 1969, served in the Army from 1969-1975 and was a Michigan City Firefighter from 1976 to 2003. He owned LaRocco Pest Control since 1980, a business he started with his dad. For the community, LaRocco said he’s also worked with the American Cancer Society and coached numerous youth sports. And he is a lifelong member of the Teamsters and the International Fire Fighters Union and said he was involved in politics since he was a kid.
Milsap, 54, of Michigan City, is a three term Michigan City councilman for the 5th Ward.
He is running on the platform of “Service before Self.”
“I believe in customer service and satisfaction and that holds true in government,” Milsap said in a Jan. 22 press release.
The assistant chief for the Michigan City Fire Department where he’s been a firefighter for more than 30 years, Milsap said “voters have a right to expect customer service and accountability from those they entrust in public office. I have a track record of being available and on-call to my constituents and I want them treated like valued customers.”
Milsap was first elected to the council in 1999, then re-elected in 2003 and 2007, and, according to the press release, was the only councilman ever in La Porte County to set up a permanent ward headquarters.
In addition to his work as a firefighter, he’s the assistant manager for the local Goodwill Industries store, where he won an award from the La Porte County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau as retail store employee of the year.
According to the press release, Milsap has also been active in community activities, serving as vice-president of the county’s mental health service, Swanson Center and as a North Central Community Action board member. He also serves as a board member for the NAACP, Indiana Black Expo-Michigan City chapter and the Commission on Status of African American Males. He is also a member of the Moose Lodge #980, Firefighters’ Local 475 and serves as treasurer of the La Porte County Democratic Party.
He is the divorced father of a 23-year-old daughter, who’s a law enforcement dispatcher in Atlanta.
“If elected to the County Commission,” he said, “I intend to bring the same kind of belief in community service and customer satisfaction that I have shown in other aspects of my life.”
Harris, 52, of Michigan City, has been involved in politics for the last three years, running for Michigan City Council in 2007, the La Porte County Clerk’s office in 2008 and was elected the La Porte County Republican Party chairman in March 2009.
“I am running because I’d like to make a difference,” he said during a Jan 21 phone interview. “When we look at our county government, I feel decisions aren’t being made in the fashion they need to be. I don’t think enough business logic is being applied to how (the county) does business.”
A life long resident of Michgian City, Harris has been married to his wife, Donna, for 15 years and has three stepdaughters and six grandchildren. Harris graduated from Marquette High School in Michigan City in 1975 and later attended Purdue University. For the past 11 years he’s owned an independent computer repair and networking service business called Custom PC Technologies.
Explaining that the county is like a multimillion dollar industry in some ways, with its excess of 500 employees and money spent on a daily basis, he said his past experiences would be well suited to the position.
“My background in business affords me to make the choices, and in some cases, the hard choices, necessary in order to get the county government on track,” he said. “And I also believe too many people in county government are there for the wrong reason. The voters deserve much better than that. I vow I don’t have any personal agendas whatever. I don’t care about doing what’s politically correct. I only care about doing what’s right for the county.”
By Matt Fritz
Published: Monday, January 25, 2010 8:14 AM CST
Staff writer
LA PORTE — Running for the Democratic nomination for the County Commissioner District 1 are James T. LaRocco and Willie Milsap. Seeking the Republican nomination for the seat is Keith A Harris.
LaRocco, of Michigan City, said he has been a precinct committee man, a delegate to the state convention, served four years on the La Porte County Election Board, was the past president of numerous democratic clubs and worked on numerous city, county, state and federal campaigns. He said he’s also served on the mayor’s select committee in Michigan City for the Department of Annexations, and has been on several other committees.
LaRocco said he’s running “because I’ve spent the last year traveling around the county and people don’t feel they are getting the representation they want.”
He explained that many of the people in office were there for their own personal agenda or special interest.
“I will represent their best interests and not special interests,” he said. “I’ll represent what the people want. So many times (people in office) forget who exactly put them there. I’ll be the voice of the average citizen, not a special interest group.”
His dad, Joe, was a former mayor of Michigan City, a city councilman and a school board member. James graduated from Elston High School in Michigan City in 1969, served in the Army from 1969-1975 and was a Michigan City Firefighter from 1976 to 2003. He owned LaRocco Pest Control since 1980, a business he started with his dad. For the community, LaRocco said he’s also worked with the American Cancer Society and coached numerous youth sports. And he is a lifelong member of the Teamsters and the International Fire Fighters Union and said he was involved in politics since he was a kid.
Milsap, 54, of Michigan City, is a three term Michigan City councilman for the 5th Ward.
He is running on the platform of “Service before Self.”
“I believe in customer service and satisfaction and that holds true in government,” Milsap said in a Jan. 22 press release.
The assistant chief for the Michigan City Fire Department where he’s been a firefighter for more than 30 years, Milsap said “voters have a right to expect customer service and accountability from those they entrust in public office. I have a track record of being available and on-call to my constituents and I want them treated like valued customers.”
Milsap was first elected to the council in 1999, then re-elected in 2003 and 2007, and, according to the press release, was the only councilman ever in La Porte County to set up a permanent ward headquarters.
In addition to his work as a firefighter, he’s the assistant manager for the local Goodwill Industries store, where he won an award from the La Porte County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau as retail store employee of the year.
According to the press release, Milsap has also been active in community activities, serving as vice-president of the county’s mental health service, Swanson Center and as a North Central Community Action board member. He also serves as a board member for the NAACP, Indiana Black Expo-Michigan City chapter and the Commission on Status of African American Males. He is also a member of the Moose Lodge #980, Firefighters’ Local 475 and serves as treasurer of the La Porte County Democratic Party.
He is the divorced father of a 23-year-old daughter, who’s a law enforcement dispatcher in Atlanta.
“If elected to the County Commission,” he said, “I intend to bring the same kind of belief in community service and customer satisfaction that I have shown in other aspects of my life.”
Harris, 52, of Michigan City, has been involved in politics for the last three years, running for Michigan City Council in 2007, the La Porte County Clerk’s office in 2008 and was elected the La Porte County Republican Party chairman in March 2009.
“I am running because I’d like to make a difference,” he said during a Jan 21 phone interview. “When we look at our county government, I feel decisions aren’t being made in the fashion they need to be. I don’t think enough business logic is being applied to how (the county) does business.”
A life long resident of Michgian City, Harris has been married to his wife, Donna, for 15 years and has three stepdaughters and six grandchildren. Harris graduated from Marquette High School in Michigan City in 1975 and later attended Purdue University. For the past 11 years he’s owned an independent computer repair and networking service business called Custom PC Technologies.
Explaining that the county is like a multimillion dollar industry in some ways, with its excess of 500 employees and money spent on a daily basis, he said his past experiences would be well suited to the position.
“My background in business affords me to make the choices, and in some cases, the hard choices, necessary in order to get the county government on track,” he said. “And I also believe too many people in county government are there for the wrong reason. The voters deserve much better than that. I vow I don’t have any personal agendas whatever. I don’t care about doing what’s politically correct. I only care about doing what’s right for the county.”