Jack Hubbard, former Burt Township supervisor and current chair of the Alger County Road Commission, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, May 15. He was 67 years old.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. We recognize Jack for his service and was a very valuable member of the Alger County Road Commission,” ACRC Engineer Bob Lindbeck said. “Jack was a good man and cared about the county and Grand Marais.”
Hubbard was known as an impassioned supporter of his community and involved in numerous projects, many of which involved infrastructure and transportation. He served Burt Township as both Fire Chief and on the township board, eight years as a trustee and six as supervisor. Hubbard was influential in the installation of the Grand Marais breakwall, which helped save the structural integrity of the harbor. He also groomed thousands of miles with the Grand Marais Sno-Trails Association and worked with various economic development events for the Grand Marais area.
He was appointed to the ACRC after the resignation of Doug Miron in 2020 and was elected to the position in the 2022 election. Lindbeck said that Hubbard’s background made him an excellent commissioner to work with all sides of the ACRC.
“His experience as township supervisor was invaluable. I’ve had the chance to work with Jack for quite awhile and he brought knowledge that was always helpful,” he said.
Because Hubbard was holding office when he passed, Alger County officials now have the delicate task of filling the seat in both a timely manner to guarantee efficient government and with the tact and grace to allow employees and family alike to properly grieve his sudden passing.
The ACRC held its regular meeting on Monday because his passing was so close to the meeting time with Marci Taskey running the meeting. The commission held a moment of silence before conducting what Lindbeck called a quick and somber meeting.
According to the Alger County Clerk’s Office, it is still unclear the exact details of what happens with the vacancy due to Hubbard’s death and the office is currently investigating the situation. What is known is that the Alger County Commission is the group that will select Hubbard’s replacement.
In cases of resignations, most elected officials must be appointed within 30 days or the issue heads to a special election. However, the county commission expressed in its last meeting that it wants to appoint a replacement for retiring Esley Mattson before hiring a new county administrator. The board may take the same approach to replacing Hubbard if additional time is available for finding his replacement.
Services for Hubbard will be held at the Grand Marais United Methodist Church on Tuesday, May 23 at 1:00 p.m.. Visitation begins at 11:00 a.m. until time of services. The Grand Island Lodge of Munising Free and Accepted Masons will conduct a memorial service prior to the funeral service.
All parties referenced in this article as well as The Munising Beacon staff extends their condolences to Hubbard’s family and friends.
