“Something I believe in is doing the right thing — even when you can make an easier decision.

A lot of it was my grandmother and seeing her work hard, and the commitment to doing it. She was a woman who raised four boys with my grandfather on a farm. They were working for my great-grandfather and made 10 percent of whatever they [the farm] produced. My grandmother said, ‘You know what? We can do better. [Her] four boys all had careers. I’m third generation. She taught me how to act. She had a hard life.’

I was picking beans one day. I didn’t have to pick beans, but I remembered that my grandmother had to, so it motivated me to do what I had to do. I take that and do it to anything I do. I try to teach my grandkids that. I think it’s especially important now, with the way things are. Things have changed.

I was supervising my Township for eight years. That was interesting. People always say that the people in office are all crooks, and they’re all that. But it’s not like that. I went out and did the right stuff. I put the township above whatever my needs were, you know? The perception was that I was doing all these mean, nasty things.

I was talking to this lady, and she didn’t know who I was, but she was telling me all the terrible things about the supervisor of London Township. And I go, “Lady, I know him really well. He doesn’t believe that.” And so I talked to her for 45 minutes, and at the end of it, I said, “Lady, I don’t believe the things you’ve said about me.” And she said, “But on the computer…”

But I do believe that everything we do makes an impact [on others], and for life, I have a theory.

I call it the domino theory. You never know when you’re going to be the domino that knocks over all the other dominoes. You can go through your life thinking you failed, but maybe somebody saw you do something that went and put the light bulb on in their heads. You never know when that’s going to happen. It may not happen. But if you don’t try, and you don’t work hard, then for sure you’re not. But just keep at it. Do the right thing.”