Q&A with Michael McCutcheon

Ephraim Village President John Cox will not run for another term in April. Michael McCutcheon is running unopposed for the position and will likely take his place.

Carol Thompson (CT):  Why are you running for village president?

Michael McCutcheon:  I am new to Ephraim as of five years this May. I felt [running] was a good way to give back to a community with time I haven’t had before – I’m a retired orthopedic spine surgeon.

I was also asked to run by people in Ephraim.

CT:  What can you bring to the position?

MM:  A life of experience with dealing with people, and many times people in pretty desperate straits. I’ve learned how to deal with people who have problems.

I have served on boards before. This [will be] the first time I’ve served on a municipal board. I can bring an openness [to the board]. I am amenable. I want to run a transparent board.

I do not have a specific agenda, nor was I approached by people with specific things they wanted to see.

I want to see government work with more respect and more civility and not be so polarized. That comes from the top down, and certainly I believe that the heart of government takes place in municipalities where people see they really have a say and I want to let everybody have their say.

CT:  How have you participated in the village?

MM:  I’m a volunteer firefighter, on the community protection committee, and have been on the airport commission for five years.

CT:  Does your lack of experience on the village board worry you?

MM:  It doesn’t worry me, but it’s a concern I readily admit. I have a lot to learn about how boards are run, although I’ve been to village board meetings for almost two straight years. I have a lot to learn about who is, what is, Ephraim, and Ephraim’s history.

There’s a lot for me to learn but I can do it. My life is spent learning things.

CT:  Is there anything you hope to accomplish as president?

MM:  Just to have the board be more civil toward one another, have the whole process be more civil with more respect and more openness. I want to encourage people to come to meetings and I will have a published phone number.

I’m inheriting a financially sound, stable village that’s been managed financially very well. I do not find Ephraim to be in problems that maybe other communities find themselves in.

CT: Why do you think you’re running unopposed?

MM:  I don’t know. I really don’t know.

CT:  Is there anything you’d like to say to introduce yourself to Ephraim residents?

MM:  I think over almost five years, a good number of people in Ephraim, both full time and summer residents, know me. I just want to let people know that I am willing to work hard and learn and understand Ephraim, and that I am not an outsider who is going to try to bring in terrific change to Ephraim.

I feel that I’m a steward, and I am a steward of all the good things that have been developed over the past with a firm but gentle hand on the helm. I want to steer the village for the next two years.

I have no radical departures from the path the village is on. I just want to be a good steward.