by Joseph Schultz
The Dorr Township Board Thursday night will appoint someone to fill the trustee seat, left vacant by the resignation of Chandler Stanton.
However, whichever candidate is appointed, they will only remain on the board until November unless they win the seat in the general election. Tuesday at 4 p.m. was the deadline for Dorr trustee candidates to submit their paperwork to appear on the ballot.
Gordon Lieffers, Terri Rios and Jim Schaendorf have filed their paperwork and will be on the ballot. Lieffers, Rios, Schaendorf, and James Riemersma all interviewed with the board in March for the appointment. Riemersma has not filed to be on the ballot, and it has been rumored that he is no longer interested in the seat.
Along with the trustee applicants, Laura Bird and Courtny Cardosa have also filed to be on the ballot. Bird will appear on the August primary ballot, while Cardosa will appear on the November general election ballot. Cardosa is running for the seat as a non-partisan candidate instead of Republican.
The applicant appointed by the board will run in the primary election as an incumbent. Usually, being an incumbent is a strong position heading into an election. However, controversial issues such as the data center, have eroded community confidence in the Dorr Township Board, making running as an incumbent perhaps more troublesome.
The primary election will be held on Aug. 4, followed by the general election on Nov. 3.
