08/29/2018- Marinette County fills its Highway Commissioner role. Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved the appointment of Eric Burmeister as Highway Commissioner. Burmeister was previously the county’s Emergency Management Director and had also been serving as interim Highway Commissioner since May. Although he didn’t initially intend to take on the role full-time, Burmeister says it was the new challenges the job presents that made him seek the appointment.
However, not everyone was on board with Burmesiter’s appointment. While some Supervisors were primarily concerned about the vacancy Burmesiter’s move could create in the county’s Emergency Management Department, others simply felt he was underqualified, namely because of Burmeister’s lack of any education in engineering. County Administrator John Lefebvre says neither of the last two Commissioners have had an engineering degree and Burmeister’s experience in administration, law enforcement, and emergency response make him an asset to the county.
Burmeister’s appointment was passed with four dissenting votes. Burmesiter says his immediate focus will be to bring the department up to full-staff and prepare for upcoming winter road maintenance.