By Rosemary Horvath
Herald Correspondent
[private] Just two weeks prior to the Aug. 2 Primary Election, the Fulton Township Board of Trustees on Monday night accepted the resignation of clerk Chad Marcecek and voted to appoint township supervisor Denise Rossman to fill the vacancy.
The move required Rossman to resign her role as supervisor, an office she held for nearly a decade.
Rossman told The Herald on Tuesday that Marcecek recently accepted a full-time job and was unable to fully carry out the duties of clerk.
“He decided he couldn’t do both,” she said.
As the township clerk and supervisor work closely with one another, Rossman is familiar with the position.
“I have worked as an election inspector and have familiarity with how things go with elections,” she said.” The township board realizes how important the clerk’s position is.”
Rossman will serve out the current term of clerk through 2024, mainly because new computer software bought with American Rescue Plan dollars will be installed next year.
Expecting a new hire to learn the current bookkeeping method and learn new programs would be too much of a challenge, she said.
Fulton Township has the second highest population in the county.
The position of supervisor has been posted on the township website and will be advertised in The Herald, among other platforms.
At this stage, Rossman was uncertain of options if the board is unable to fill the supervisor position from within the township. It may bounce in the county clerk’s lap to find someone.
Laura Crocker who resigned recently as Washington Township clerk has agreed to serve as Fulton’s deputy clerk to assist Rossman.
—
The countdown to the primary election ticks toward choosing party preferences for five Gratiot County commission seats.
Democrats have single candidates while Republican have two or more running for elected office.
Winners collecting the most votes move on to face their political rivals at the Nov. 8 general election.
County Republican Party chairman Chuck Murphy voiced optimism at the number of Republican candidates seeking offices.
The party broke with tradition, Murphy said, by endorsing candidate Timothy Gay of Emerson Township in the District 3 county commission race.
While a District 3 has existed historically, due to redistricting new territory now includes city of Alma Precinct 3, and townships of Arcada, Emerson, and Sumner.
Below is a list of county
commission candidates:
District 1: Democrat – Brent DeVries. Republican – Maria Kolb, John Lemmermann, Dave Owens.
District 2: Democrat – David H. Justin. Republican – Ralph Echtinaw, Jan Bunting.
District 3: Democrat – Michael Lynch. Republican – Justin Barnaby, Timothy Gay.
District 4: Republicans – Bonnie Gutavision, Samuel A. Smith.
District 5: Democrat – Sylvia R. Flegel. Republican – George Bailey, Brett Baublitz.
[private/]