In last week’s profiles of candidates running for township positions, Joshua Ackley and Eric Rosa were inadvertantly missed from our coverage. Please see their profiles below.

Joshua Ackley

Joshua Ackley is running for supervisor position B. He and his wife, Crystal, have a son, Jase, and a daughter, Mackenzie. He is an apprentice electrician at IBEW local 292, and he is working as a Firefighter/EMR for the Clearwater Fire Dept. He has an AAS in culinary arts from the Art Institute of International Minnesota. He is currently sa student at the Minneapolis JATC.

Budgeting: The main reason that I am running is the issue involving the fire contract. I believe that if the township would start their own fire department it would cost a minimum $350,000 to start and the level of responses and training would suffer greatly. Property insurance rates will go up considerately due to the level of service decreasing. Currently the fire dept contract is around $100,000 for each township. This includes training, pay for the fire dept personal, retirement fund, and equipment. We need to be fiscal responsible in our budgeting.

Maintenance: I hope to work on the chip sealing of Huber Ave between 160th and Nixon Lake. This is an extremely high traveled road due to the public access on Nixon Lake. We also need to investigate if the DNR can help us pay for the chip sealing.

Eric Rosa

Eric Rosa is running for Big Lake Township Supervisor. He is married to Jess, a preschool teacher, and they have four kids. He has worked for Wagner as a quality systems specialist for 26 years, and he is a volunteer firefighter. He has an associates degree in applied science in electronic and computer technology from Brown Institute. He also serves on the Fire Department Relief Association Board of Trustees.

Community outreach: I wish to take a Non-Partisan, unbiased approach to working with both the residents and community leaders, along with the City of Big Lake, as we are all in the same community. I promise to keep residents’ concerns at the forefront, and pursue what is best for the community.

Communication: I will govern with a fiscally responsible and transparent approach, with input from residents, with no personal or hidden agenda. I will always be accessible to residents to discuss concerns they may have

Maintenance: I will support and help to maintain the grounds of the Township hall.