BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

Carson Danis has only worked for the City of the Village of Clarkston in its Department of Public Works since last month, but the 20-year-old lifelong resident of Clarkston is enjoying his job – and learning the ins and outs of being a DPW assistant on a daily basis.
A 2018 Clarkston High School graduate who also attended Clarkston Elementary, Sashabaw Middle School and Clarkston Junior High, Danis said his new job is tailor-made for him.
“I used to work for parks and rec for Independence Township. I was at Bay Court all summer, and then the season ended,” said Danis. “I started in the early part of November, so the timing was kind of perfect for me. I called (DPW Director) Jimi Turner, and here we are.”
Danis said each day on the job is different, but one aspect is consistent.
“I like doing outside work more than inside,” Danis said. “This job, being outside, talking to people, I really feel like I’m getting stuff done. Typical things we do are driving around town and cleaning up messes, like litter or if a drain is clogged, cleaning up the park, and seeing if anyone needs us for anything. Things will change as we get more into winter, but we stay pretty busy.
“Since I’ve started, I’ve learned to do more things than I did at the township, which was a lot of mowing and weed whipping and stuff like that. At Bay Court, there were a lot of Frisbee golfers that I would talk to, which was really cool, and here, you see more people and have a chance to interact with more people.”
Away from city hall, Danis is attending Oakland Community College and also has hobbies that include computer animation and learning to play the drums. His parents, Erin and Chris Danis, have lived in Clarkston since 1999, and also have two more children, a daughter, Loghyn, who is 28, and a son, Jackson, who is 15.
“For the next few years, I’ll be going to business school and not really planning to move anywhere,” Danis said. “I don’t really know what I want to do or what I want to be in the future, but this is a good spot to be in to figure that all out.”