Lori Cowan Seeking County Commission Seat!
Cowan Vows to Represent Overlooked Corner of County
A woman with more than 20 years of experience serving the people of Unadilla Township has stepped forward to run for a seat on the Livingston County Commission.
Unadilla Township Trustee Lori Cowan announced her candidacy Wednesday for the seat in the new, largely rural county commission district 3.
“As a township trustee, I’ve seen how rural areas of the county are sometimes at the back of the line for receiving funding for essential services. People in the rest of the new district may feel they are sometimes in the same boat. I want to make sure rural areas are not overlooked,” Cowan said.
Cowan is running for the Democratic nomination for commissioner in the new county commission district 3, which includes southern Handy Township, all of Iosco, Unadilla, and Putnam townships, and the southwest corner of Hamburg Township. No incumbent lives in the district.
The current commission has failed to represent the views of many citizens in the district, Cowan said.
“Consistently, they have bowed to the pressure of a loud radical fringe and based decisions on political views rather than what’s best for the community. For example, they turned down $1.5 million in state funds that would have helped the Livingston County Health Department during the pandemic,” she said.
Cowan said she would work to make sure the less populated townships have access to high-speed internet that is needed for education, work, medical care, and more in the 21st Century. She said when the county received funds for 911 fiber optics, Unadilla received none of the funds at all, and Putnam Township next door received funds years later than the rest of the county. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen again,” she said.
She will also see to it that funds raised by the millage for veterans’ services provides the help veterans need.
Cowan was re-elected to her fifth term on the Unadilla Township board last November without opposition. She currently serves on the Unadilla Parks and Recreation Committee where she has worked to improve the township park and trails. She helped secure grant funds to add a playscape for children, a trail around the perimeter, and solar lights for the picnic shelter.
She served on the board of the Livingston Land Conservancy for six years and remains a member of the organization. She also served on the Livingston County Waste Management Committee for two years.
Currently an assistant manager of The Earl Restaurant, Cowan has been a case manager for Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Livingston County and an assistant teacher at a Montessori preschool in Ann Arbor.
Her education includes a bachelor’s of science degree in sociology and psychology in from Eastern Michigan University, certification as an apprentice drug counselor, and certification through the Michigan State University Citizens Planner course.
She and her husband Bill have lived in Livingston County for 31 years, including 27 in Unadilla Township.
People wishing more information may contact Cowan at lori4commissioner@gmail.com or through her Facebook page, Lori Zoe Cowan.
