FeedsCaccamo vows to keep ‘bull dog’ spirit
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Todd CaccamoTodd Caccamo said even his supporters have accused him of being ‘kinder and gentler.’
And while he admits to being less combative with his fellow board members since he returned from a tour of duty in Iraq last spring, he said it’s only so he can get more accomplished.
“It really helped put things in the proper perspective,” he said of his deployment to Fallujah. “It helped show me what is important in life.”
Caccamo, 36, is a marine reservist that re-enlisted prior to his decision to seek a second term in office. He said he understands a deployment is possible—particularly since the recent increase in hostilities in Afghanistan—but is determined to serve on the board. He said Michigan should join other states in the union in allowing local elected boards to appoint an interim board member to serve while elected representatives might be off performing their duties overseas.
While he’s on the board, though, he said residents don’t have to worry about him not bringing up issues or asking tough questions.
“If I need to level the guns and take a shot across the bow, they know I’ll still do that,” he said. “I still have to look at myself as the marine bulldog who gets incensed when government oversteps its bounds.”
That’s the philosophy that got him into the township trustee race four years ago. He said he had some complaints about the direction of the township and, rather than just complain about it, he decided to get involved.
Since then, he’s learned to work with his fellow board members to accomplish some things that he says buck current trends in government. The township board was able to lower taxes during the past four years.
“It was only 2 percent, but to me that was huge,” he said. “It’s headed in the right direction.”
The board was able to lower the salaries of all elected officials, too—from the supervisor to the part-time trustees. Last year revenues were up about 3 percent, but expenses only 1 percent, he added.
Now he said he wants to concentrate on internal performance incentives.
“We need to find a way to make improvements across the board,” he said. “That’s the next challenge.”
Tops on his list is trying to improve the local economy, which he sees as both a cooperative and competitive issue with Canton, Plymouth and Northville.
“If you don’t have jobs, you’re housing prices go down. If you don’t have jobs, your services go down,” he said. “If you don’t have jobs, you’ve got nothing.”
He said the best way Canton can be competitive is to streamline the zoning process, provide tax breaks and work with the state.
