ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” story. It is an editorial by the editor.
Dorr Township Trustee John Tuinstra recently circulated a flyer recommending trustee candidates for the Nov. 8 election. I’m doing the same on a larger scale, prompted by my motto: “I report what I see and hear, and sometimes I comment on it.”
Journalism has a tradition of more than 200 years of endorsing candidates for office. Yes, it’s just one man’s opinion.
Watson and Wayland Townships
The veritable plethora of No Party Affiliation candidates in local township elections is the most significant I have seen in all my years covering these exercises.
Besides Dorr, the NPAs also have shown up on the ballot in Watson Township.
Kathryn Morris is running against incumbent Treasurer Sue Jones, a Democrat, and Candy Adrianson and Jim Lautenshleger are challenging incumbent Democrat Chuck Andrysiak and Republican Michelle Harris.
One has to wonder if the NPA failed to file as either a Democrat or a Republican in time for the primary or just doesn’t want to be associated with either party.
At any rate, I see no reason to unseat Jones as treasurer. She walked into a difficult job because of the sins of her predecessor. That matter now should be regarded as behind the township, though Morris seems to want to resurrect the dead. Jones and her colleagues have done a splendid job of cleaning up the mess.
The trustees’ races are more interesting. Andrysiak deserves a third four-year term without hesitation. I know virtually nothing about Lautenschleger except he has hasn’t made himself available to the public.
For the remaining seat, it’s a tossup between Harris, the chairwoman of the Township Planning Commission, and Adrianson, who formerly served as supervisor and trustee.
Harris has proven herself to be intelligent and reasonable in her approach to governing. I’ve had misgivings about her taking advantage of our horribly flawed system to run a successful write-in campaign in the primary to get on the ballot as a Republican. I know, they all do it.
I had no issues with Adrianson when she was supervisor and I believe she was unjustly turned away four years ago at the ballot box. However, since then I have witnessed too many of her kin and supporters show up at meetings to raise a ruckus about things that don’t really exist or are minor issues. It seems like they’d fit in well at Dorr.
The only other “race” is in Wayland Township, where incumbent Republicans are Patricia Staley and Jim Stein are being opposed by Democrat Ron DeVries. He also has not put much or any information about him or his candidacy out there for the public to examine.
Know this: If you decide to seek public office, it behooves you to be accessible to the public, particularly on Facebook or with flyers, or with appearances introducing yourselves. Otherwise, it is extremely difficult for me to take you seriously as a candidate. I think the public feels the same way.
PHOTOS: Sue Jones Chuck Andrysiak
