Meet Your Community:
Stephen R. May
 ecoming a county drain commissioner was far from Steve’s original career goal. The 42 year-old Virginia native moved to Tennessee in 1977 to attend college, work toward a business degree and make plans to start his own business. During that time Steve married his wife Tina, who was from Lenawee County. They moved to Adrian and he took a job with the city utilities department that eventually led to his election in November 1996 as Lenawee Drain Commissioner.
Steve’s strengths include a natural ease and diplomatic talent, combined with technical knowledge. Steve works to turn conflicts into team efforts to solve problems. He also has highlighted a customer service approach to the drain office. “Until proven otherwise the public is right; drain projects belong to the people paying for them and they deserve assurances their money and resources are put to the best use,” says Steve.
One of his first goals was to change the perception that the drain office has so much municipal sewer and water work that drain projects do not get their deserved attention. “I want to be more visible in the drain business,” Steve said. There are nearly 700 drain districts consisting of 1500 miles of county ditches and tiles. Preventive maintenance, including tree and brush removal from drain channels, has been a high priority in his first term. Other duties of the office include: municipal sewer and water operations, maintaining court ordered lake levels, administering the counties’ soil erosion and sedimentation policy, and storm water plan reviews.
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Contents
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Land development impacts on drainage systems