VOTE411 Voter Guide

I have served as a Jackson City Commissioner and currently serve as a trustee on the Summit Township board since 2021. In 2017, I ran the Fix Summit Roads ballot campaign as a volunteer which led to all local roads being repaired in slightly more than three years. I worked in the public policy arena for three advocacy associations in Lansing working with policymakers and state agencies for 32 years. I have lived in Summit for over 30 years.

I am running for Supervisor to address shortcomings in fiscal discipline, transparency and accountability. The township has a large unfunded pension liability that is not being addressed despite continued strong recommendations from our pension administrator to pay down the debt. Our last financial report from the MERS, our administrator, has the deficit at slightly over $9 million in the required annual reporting to the state. The funded percentage at 59% triggered a state law that requires the township to work with the state treasury department on an action plan. In response the board voted 6-1 in December asking for a waiver from the requirement. I voted no and argued strongly that the problem needs to be addressed. I would pursue long term strategies to address fiscal challenges. Our general fund budget will run a deficit of $132,000 this year now that the Covid money is gone. We cannot spend more than we take in.

The pension liability and the lack of transparency of key drivers of our fiscal condition. Board members, a part-time position, get pensions after six years of service. This has to end. When everyone is on the receiving end there is less interest in curtailing costs. During the last union contract process the board was not allowed to know the details of the tentative agreement of a new contract until after the union had voted for its ratification. Also, the board was kept in the dark about the application for a SAFER grant to hire additional firefighters that would force the township to seek a millage increase to keep the new hires after the 3 year grant period or lay them off. Those decisions should have been made beforehand by the full board and not just the Supervisor. I also think closing the township office on Fridays was a disservice to the residents. I voted against the policy. There was no cost savings to the residents, just less service.

The fire department is well funded and staffed. Summit has a general fund budget of $5.3 million. The fire department budget is $2.9 million or 55 percent of our general fund budget. Big ticket equipment purchases are not included in the $2.9 million operations budget. A new pumper truck arrived this spring at a cost of $900,000. This was mostly paid with ARPA (Covid) funds. The board just approved the purchase of a new ladder truck at $1.6 million after the current ladder truck was discovered to have a rusted frame and was required to be taken out of service six years before it was expected. That expenditure is planned to come from reserves which will leave the township with the minimum amount of reserves recommended by our auditor. The police department consists of a Summit detachment of Jackson County sheriffs deputies with an office at township hall. There is a fulltime supervisor deputy and a 24/7 road patrol officer which we contract for $576,000 this year.