BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

It’s amazing what happens just by reading the paper.
Jimi Turner did that and found himself a job as Clarkston’s new DPW supervisor earlier this summer.
“It was rather typical, really,” Turner said. “I just happened to see the job posting in The Clarkston News one day, felt that my experience and love for the city of Clarkston was a good fit, so I applied for the position.
“The position was mostly appealing to me because I really enjoy a change of pace, new challenges, working with people, and making an impact in my work life. Working for the Clarkston DPW, there is never a shortage of any of that. I knew before I even started here that I would get a lot of pride and joy from using my past skill sets while developing new ones and utilizing my resources whenever possible to help make the city of Clarkston look and feel the best that I can.”
“Jimi is a delightful young man with a ‘can-do’ attitude and lots of experience,” added Clarkston Mayor Eric Haven.
And while this is Turner’s first venture into a public works position, he admitted that he had been fortunate in his career to experience and learn in a wide range of fields that all apply to the wide range of work that he does in Clarkston.
“My work history has been in management, auto maintenance and repair, facilities maintenance, construction, and snow removal – all of which kind of falls under the DPW umbrella of responsibilities,” said Turner. “To put it simply, I maintain all the property in the city of Clarkston that is owned by the city for the public’s use. This includes the Village Hall building, Depot Park, the public parking lots, street signage, the sidewalks, trees, all the roads throughout the city, city vehicles and equipment, and trash removal, just to name a few.
“What I like most about my position is that there is never a dull day. I get to work with a great team of hard-working passionate people, and I get to learn about and be more involved in my community every day.”
Some weeks back, Turner and Clarkston City Manager Jonathan Smith ventured into the area’s streets to patch some unsightly potholes (pictured).
“It went very well thanks to a lot of help from Jonathan,” said Turner. “The process is a long, hot, and sweaty one, but we spread out about three tons of hot patch throughout the city with our main focus being on a few problem areas along Holcomb Road, Depot Road, Middle Lake Road, Overlook Road, and the parking lot at Washington and Main.”
Turner turned 36 last month and has lived in Clarkston most of his life, graduating from Clarkston High School in 2002. He lives with his 10-year-old Jack Russell named “Brody.”
“In my free time, I like to play the drums, learn new skills, dream about being a professional rally racecar driver someday, and work on any of the hundreds of projects I seem to have going at any point in time,” Turner said.