When our founder, John Reigle was fighting for our community’s right to receive phone service in the early days of the Cooperative, it was Senator Carl Levin that stepped up to the plate. Though the entire saga of Allband’s development, Senator Levin supported Allband and believed in our mission. We owe the creation and success of our mission-based Cooperative partly to him and he will be greatly missed. Even in his post-Senate career as an attorney in Detroit, he still supported us and our efforts to bridge the digital divide.
“It was a pleasure to work with Senator Levin and his staff over the years. Learning of his death was a shock to the system, as the Senator was a long-time supporter of our cause and a true patriot. While his role in the Government was large and high-profile, he still had a great heart and even took the time to visit us locally, for example, during a program in Gaylord, MI when we were working on the formation of Allband. Our President often talks about seeing the Senator at that event and thinking that he had a look-alike walking around, until he walked into the room to introduce himself and congratulate us on our efforts. Thank you for your service Senator Levin, we will not forget your efforts to support the needs of our community in rural Northern Michigan. – Ron Siegel, GM (October 2021)
