Councilman
Sam Eiler

City Hall
208 North First Ave.
Alpena, Michigan 49707

Phone: (989) 354-1700
Fax:  (989) 354-1709
Email:same@alpena.mi.us

I was born and raised in Findlay, Ohio, a city with a population of about 35,000 in northwest Ohio. Located on I-75, Findlay is almost exactly halfway between Ann Arbor and Columbus, Ohio. So I saw the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry from the middle. I have also lived in both Ann Arbor and Columbus, and loved both places.

I have a B.S. and M.A. degree from Eastern Michigan University and completed doctoral coursework in broadcast journalism at the University of Michigan, but did not write a dissertation.

I have been married to Kathleen (Wilmot) Eiler since July of 1971, and we have a daughter Emily who lives in suburban Chicago with her husband and 3 small children.

Kathy and I had been visiting the Alpena area since the early 1970s, when her family moved up here. Kathy has three brothers (all of whom live in the Alpena area) and three sisters (one of whom lives in Alpena). Her parents still live in Alpena. We moved here in June of 2001 when Kathy was named principal of Alcona Elementary School.

Political Experience
My political background is not extensive, although I have long been interested in politics. My training in journalism has enabled me to work in many elections, covering many candidates from local offices to Governor.

I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican - although I have voted for (and against) candidates of both major parties. I have voted for a couple of independent candidates through the years. I have also worked with the League of Women Voters (mostly in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti) to stage and broadcast candidate forums.

To my great surprise and pleasure, I was appointed to Alpena City Council in January of 2004 - to fill the final two years of John Gilmet's Council term, when he was elected Mayor. Thereafter, I ran unopposed in 2005, and most recently I was re-elected in 2009 in a 4 person race. 

Work Experience
I am currently retired, except for my duties on City Council.

Most of my career was spent in broadcasting and higher education - usually simultaneously, and usually at state universities (Eastern Michigan University and Grand Valley State University in Michigan and Eastern Illinois University).

From April 1991 to June 2001, I was Associate Director/Radio Stations Manager of the WOSU Stations at Ohio State University. I managed the two full-time radio stations in Columbus, as well as four repeater stations located in Coshocton, Mansfield, Marion, and Portsmouth. The annual radio budget was $1.9 million. We had a staff of 31 full-time and about a dozen part-time and student employees. WOSU-AM's format is news/talk and WOSU-FM's format is classical music/NPR.

NOTE:  O-S-U is a H-U-G-E place. The one square mile main campus holds some 75,000 students, faculty, and staff. When I left, OSU's annual budget was $1.4 Billion. OSU's campus is bounded by High Street, aka U.S. 23.

Prior to Ohio State, I was Assistant Professor in the School of Communications, and Radio Station Manager of WGVU-FM for Grand Valley State University in Allendale and Grand Rapids.

Other Information of Interest
One of my Council duties, which I very much enjoy is to participate in the "Mayor's Exchange" program, where a delegation from Alpena visits another City for behind-the-scenes tours and background information. The other City then repays the visit and sees and learns about how we do things here. It is a great learning and bonding experience. Thus far, I've gone to Traverse City, Bay City, and, most recently, Grand Haven.

I enjoy assisting the City and its residents in any way I can. We are very fortunate to live in an area where so many people choose to spend their vacation.