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Pintar seeks re-election to Houghton County Board

HOUGHTON – A longtime Houghton County commissioner is seeking another term.

Anton Pintar is running for re-election as a Democratic commissioner for District 3, which covers Adams Township and Hancock.

Pintar graduated from Jeffers High School before getting a bachelor’s degree from Michigan Tech in chemical engineering and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology. He taught chemical engineering at Michigan Technological University from 1966 to his retirement in 2002.

Pintar ran for his first term on the board in 2006 after then-Commissioner Mike Lahti launched a successful run for the State House of Representatives. He has since served five terms.

“I felt I had the qualifications to serve as a county commissioner, and the interest in serving as a county commissioner,” he said.

Being commissioner reminds Pintar of teaching in that the topics are always different.

“We run the gamut of things – the Otter Lake Dam situation, for example,” he said. “That’s the aspect I enjoy about it. It doesn’t get boring, let’s put it that way.”

The board’s accomplishments in that time of which Pintar is proudest are building the new transfer station in Atlantic Mine, the support of the Houghton County Medical Care Facility and keeping the budget balanced.

“The old transfer station was sinking and would have had to be abandoned,” he said.

As far as upcoming challenges in the county, Pintar points to getting the upcoming millage for the medical care facility passed.

“Without that millage, the medical care facility would not be able to operate,” he said.

Another issue is slowly trying to expand the recycling program at the transfer station, which now includes cardboard, scrap metal and motor oil. Other ideas include asphalt shingles and composting, as well as paper.

“The biggest component of the garbage is paper,” he said.

Pintar said while it’s not his intent for the county to compete with Waste Management, it could also look at recycling plastics in the future.

“Right now, it doesn’t make money,” he said.

Overall, Pintar said, he’s done a good job serving the residents of his district and the county.

“I haven’t gotten any real complaints from any of my constituents, so from that standpoint, I want to serve my district for another two years,” he said.

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