CHASSELL TOWNSHIP – George Rajala is looking to become the next representative for District 5 on the Houghton County Board of Commissioners.

Rajala, co-owner of the Chippewa Apartments in Chassell, is running as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Tim Palosaari.

Rajala said he decided to run after several requests from the county Democratic Party. His biggest issues, he said, will be keeping the Houghton County Medical Care Facility running and county-owned. He said he was open to some changes at the facility, depending on what happens during his term. But privatization won’t be one of them.

“I’ve gotten phone calls, and people are pretty adamant about keeping that open,” he said. “I understand some people would like to change it over to private ownership – I’m not for that.”

Rajala said he will also focus on representing all the townships in his district, which includes Chassell, Duncan, Elm River, Laird, Portage and Stanton.

Rajala said he would contact each township and go to a meeting of theirs.

“I’ve received a lot of comments and people calling me, when they found out I was running – things that have not been done or things they think should be done differently,” he said.

Rajala attended Chassell Township Schools, then went to Suomi College (now Finlandia University) for two years before graduating from Northern Michigan University with a degree in secondary education. But he found he didn’t want to be inside, so he became a journeyman carpenter.

He spent five years in Texas as a project manager then moved to the East Coast, where he owned a construction company. He returned to the Copper Country in 2003.

Rajala said he brings a wealth of experience to the county, including his tenure on the Ontonagon County Rural Electrification Association Board. In addition to his moves around the United States, he’s traveled extensively abroad, having been to Europe, India and the South Pacific, among other places.

“I’ve been around a variety of people,” he said.

Among other interests, he has a pilot’s license and has also published a book about poetry.