It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Jason Gillman is raising more ire and eyebrows in the region lately than anyone. He’s suing the Traverse City Area Public Schools, has brought video cameras to meetings, and has demanded more transparency at various levels of local government.

But do you know who Jason Gillman is? Are you aware he’s a former Grand Traverse County Commissioner, a business founder and owner, a licensed marine engineer, former employee of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians, Tea Party member, and husband?

The Ticker caught up with Gillman, who says he’s “fighting for government to do what it has to and nothing more.”

Ticker: How do you make a living?
Gillman: I started a company that sells security systems and cameras in 1997, mostly to educate myself. I had been working the surveillance cameras at the casino [Turtle Creek], and wanted to learn more. It’s mostly an Internet-based business, and we sell to dealers and end-users.

Ticker: What are your political views?
Gillman: I first had no interest or expectation to run for office, but this was 2009, about the same time the Tea Party movement was really taking off, and I led a group of 55 people on a bus to a rally in Washington. I came back and decided to go door-to-door to talk to people, and it’s amazing what you can learn when you listen. For instance, people did not want the county government to be running a youth baseball program. So I ran to bring Tea Party-type economics and a conservative philosophy to Grand Traverse County because I thought it would serve us well. And it did.

Ticker: You’ve pursued TCAPS Superintendent Steve Cousins and the school board for lack of openness, illegal campaigning, and now alleged their partnership with the schools in China was executed illegally. What outcome are you after?
Gillman: Basically I want a board that actually cares about what the public wants. It’s not that they want to do bad; they want good things and good schools…and big, wonderful theatres. But the bottom line is we have a certain amount of pie and we have to spread it around so the minimums are accomplished; so Johnny can read, write, do some science, and maybe learn to get along with his neighbor.

Ticker: So what are some things you’d like to see changed around the region?
Gillman: Well, we never should have gotten rid of the dam. Given all variables, hydroelectric energy is the least expensive, most reliable source of energy. Our community was built around it. I’d get rid of the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments. What do they do? I’d kill the Grand Vision, though I suppose killing the Council of Governments would do that and it’s pretty much dead already. I’d just get rid of things that don’t belong or we can’t afford.

Ticker: Do you say and do these things because nobody else will, or because you love doing it?
Gillman: I enjoy being in the middle of it, but I also do it because nobody else is willing to take the bullets. Nobody else is fighting for the private property owner. I don’t like being told by elected officials that the citizens aren’t important enough …just trust us. We need to have a discussion and debate from the public before they make decisions.

Ticker: Whom do you admire in politics?
Gillman: Margaret Thatcher comes to mind. Of course Ronald Reagan. Locally Chris Maxbauer is a pretty straight shooter; she’s not always right but she’s ethical and that’s important to me.

Ticker: Whom would you pick as the next U.S. president?
Gillman: I have no dream candidate, but I’d love to have Sarah Palin as president in a heartbeat. That’s not something I’m afraid to say. She knows what it means to be an American, she’s smarter than people think, and she’s taking a lot of crap and still swinging.

Ticker: What does your wife think about you making so much noise in politics and the local news?
Gillman: She would like to have me a little more to herself, but she’s very supportive, and she herself is very active and contributes to the conversation.