Lahti was elected to the Hancock area School Board in 1994, where he served for seven years. Also in 1994, he was appointed to the Finlandia University board of trustees, where he served for 13 years. In 2000, Lahti was elected to the Houghton County Commission as a Democrat.
In 1994, Lahti was selected to serve on the Hancock area School Board and held this position for seven years. That same year, he was appointed to Finlandia University's board of trustees and served there for thirteen years. In 2000, Lahti joined the Houghton County Commission as a Democrat.