The race for Leland Township supervisor is on.
Incumbent Susan Och, a Democrat is being challenged by trustee Clint Mitchell, a Republican.
Och has served as Leland trustee from 2008 to 2012 and supervisor 2016 to present. She also served on Parks and Rec Board, the Library Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, and is a Michigan Asset Management Champion.
Mitchell earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication with a minor in journalism from Eastern Illinois University. He is a current trustee and planning commissioner.
A former journalist, a business owner and energy-sector contract negotiator, he and his wife, Erin, have three children: Nate and Anna, who are attending college and Oliver, a student at St. Mary.
We asked candidates three questions, limiting length to 75 words or less.
In alphabetical order, here’s what they had to say: 1.) What are your top three priorities for Leland Township?
Mitchell: Work together — Restore board functionality and community trust through honest, transparent communication and responsiveness to residents.
Parks — Re-install a dock at the DNR launch on the Leland River; Resurface and repair Grove Park’s tennis and basketball courts; Renovate, and broaden all-ages activity uses at, Hancock Park.
Infrastructure — Develop a comprehensive road master plan that accounts for traffic, parking, sidewalks and drainage; prioritize township spending, and secure Road Commission funding, to accomplish projects.
Och: Leland Township’s backlog of road repair, parks upkeep, and other infrastructure needs far exceeds our current revenue. We need to make hard choices about priorities and consider new sources of revenue. We have a severe lack of housing for essential workers like teachers and firefighters, Our zoning ordinance overhaul should address this. We will be opening negotiations with the firefighters’ union in November, and voting on two of our fire millages next year.
2.) The township has been working for more than a year to replace of the breakwall on the Leland River. However, progress has been slow. What obstacles has the township face? If elected, what is your game plan?
Mitchell: Engineering and permitting have taken longer than expected.
Going forward, there may be an opportunity to transfer to the library board the property grounds and their substantial cost liabilities, including the seawall. This could provide significant cost savings to township residents, with no change in use, and should be strongly considered.
Otherwise, we’ll use existing capital improvement funds to start work next year on the southern, most-problematic portion of the wall.
Och: We have progressed towards fixing the failing seawall by commissioning the engineer’s inspection and a preliminary plan, and by proceeding with the EGLE permitting. But the cost of actual construction, likely $500800K, is formidable compared to township revenue. The library proposal is interesting and may be feasible, but it should not be a distraction from continued progress. A small millage request in support of a construction bond could be an alternative to private fundraising.
3.) Given the recent purchase of new township offices on M-204, will the township continue to meet in the Munnecke Room?
Mitchell: We will continue to meet in the Munnecke Room, and that would be stipulated in any potential transfer agreement with the library.
Existing space in the township office could be reconfigured or modified slightly to accommodate small to medium-sized meetings and possibly elections. But the Munnecke Room has provided an ideal space and convenient, recognizable location for our meetings for years, and that should continue.
Och: Township business must be conducted in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. The OMA requires that meetings be conducted at a venue that can accommodate any and all members of the public who are interested in watching. The new office is a vast improvement, but without renovations the meeting room can seat an audience of no more than six people. We will continue to have meetings in the Munnecke Room for the foreseeable future.
