Since I announced that I am running for school board, I've had several people ask me about my 'platform'. It seems fair that I should at least talk about my points of view on things, my history and experience, and my interests, so you get an idea if I'm the right kind of candidate for you. About MeFirst, a little about my history and background. My wife and I both grew up in the Harrison Community School District, just down the road from Roscommon. My Mother was an elementary and middle school teacher there for some 30+ years, and my dad drove a school bus and worked in the food service office/kitchen there. I grew up around the schools. Steph and I both were student/athletes. In our Junior year (1990), Harrison implemented a true pay-to-play program...my parents paid to make sure I could play on a Varisty football team that totalled less than 20 players. It wasn't a great winning season. We've lived in Roscommon for about 11 years now. We're both very active in the community; Steph teaches gymnastics 3 nights per week at the CRAF center and is critical to keeping the youth soccer program running smoothly ('secretary' isn't a very good title for all the work she gets done there). I'm in my 5th year as president of our youth soccer organization, and I coach soccer, baseball, and basketball for our sons. I'm also a sitting board member on the Roscommon Area Youth Boosters Club and the Higgins Lake Boat Club. I'm into my 16th year as a member of the Michigan State Police. I'm assigned to the Forensic Science Division, and work at the laboratory in Grayling. By rank, I'm a Detective Lieutenant; my area of responsibility is Latent Print Unit Supervisor. For the past 15 months or so, I've been reassigned as the Acting Laboratory Director, overseeing the operation of the whole lab. I also own and run Bowen Technology Services, LLC, a small IT support company I started 6 years ago. We provide all kinds of computer, network, email, and web site support to companies throughout Roscommon county and the surrounding region. My PlatformFirst, I don't have any specific 'agenda item' that I'm fired up about, and have made my life's goal to push through no matter the consequences. I've found it impossible to be absolutely sure about *any* difficult decision...that's why their called 'difficult'. The clarity on those kinds of decisions *always* comes in hindsight. I accept that. I do have a growing number of questions, some small and some not-so-small, that I'd like answers to, but I really want to collect as many legitimate questions as I can from people I know. I'd love to see/hear some of your issues...I know we all overlap in some areas. As for my 'platform', I hope I can represent the younger kids as a parent of elementary (one in 2nd grade) and middle schoolers (two, in 5th and 7th grades). A couple simple questions I've already asked hadn't been considered, because the focus is (reasonably) elsewhere. Aside from that, my platform is just to make the most responsible decision available at every opportunity, with a core focus on protecting the kids' experience in the classroom.There are very difficult decisions facing the RAPS board, and for some of those, there really *is* no good answer. In order to make a decision of that magnitude, I really am driven to try to understand everything I can about all the possible outcomes ahead of time. I also know it takes a strong network of people/resources to collect and sift through that information...that's where I need this community's help. I'd like to think I have some advantage, because I have a pretty strong connection and rapport with a lot of people in the community...I hope that translates into people being confident enough to come to me with issues, and trusting me to handle them fairly. If there is something else you'd like to hear about (or make me clarify), please let me know. John