Portraits: CountyCommissioner

County Commissioner Frank Thompson chases his dog around his yard attempting to put a leash around him. Mike, a 100-pound beast of a pit bull-Labrador mix, once jumped through the living room window at the sight of the neighbor's cat. Thompson, 82, was elected in November to his fourth consecutive term on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Thompson is full of eccentricities that make him stand out on the county board. {quote}He endeared himself to us,{quote} says Vice Chairwoman Deb Buchholtz-Hiemstra. {quote}He's out in his community all the time, talking to his neighbors. You can just tell there's a lot of emotion in what he says and what he brings to the board.{quote}

County Commissioner Frank Thompson chases his dog around his yard attempting to put a leash around him. Mike, a 100-pound beast of a pit bull-Labrador mix, once jumped through the living room window at the sight of the neighbor's cat. Thompson, 82, was elected in November to his fourth consecutive term on the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Thompson is full of eccentricities that make him stand out on the county board. "He endeared himself to us," says Vice Chairwoman Deb Buchholtz-Hiemstra. "He's out in his community all the time, talking to his neighbors. You can just tell there's a lot of emotion in what he says and what he brings to the board."