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Posted on Wed, May 2, 2012 : 1:59 p.m.

Pittsfield Township incumbents file for re-election

By Lisa Allmendinger

This story has been corrected, one member of the slate is not currently in office.

Officials on the current Pittsfield Township Board have announced they will seek re-election for a second four-year term.

Calling themselves the Pittsfield Promise Team, the incumbent Democratic candidates are Supervisor Mandy Grewal, Clerk Alan Israel, Treasurer Patricia Tupacz Scribner and Trustees Stephanie Hunt, Gerald Krone, and Michael Yi. Joining them is Frank Lotfian.

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Mandy Grewal

As of May 1, according to the county elections division, no one else has filed, and the deadline to file as a partisan candidate is May 15 at 4 p.m.

“Because of our fiscal discipline and focused effort to secure grant funding, Pittsfield Charter Township is in better financial shape now than it was four years ago,” said Grewal in the news release that announced the incumbents' election bid.

Grewal, a former county commissioner, has lived in the township for nearly 20 years. Israel is a former chief of staff for the prosecutor’s office and a former mayor of Milan, and has lived in the township for the past 14 years.

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Alan Israel

Tupacz Scribner has lived in the township for nearly 18 years, and has served on the board of the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission for nearly 20 years. Yi has worked with General Motors Corporation and has a long history of entrepreneurship in the Ann Arbor area and has lived in the township about 13 years.
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Patricia Tupacz Scribner

Lotfian worked at General Motors Corp. in both the engineering and purchasing departments before retiring. He’s lived in the township for about six years. Hunt is a flight attendant for Delta Airlines and has lived in the township for many years.

Krone, who served on the Saline Area Schools Board of Education from 2000-04, is a forensic social worker and has lived in Saline for 27 years.

Grewal said the township received $5 million in grants, added hundreds of jobs to the community, and “has the only revenue-generating building department in Washtenaw County.”

According to the release, the township also has one of the quickest public safety response rates in the county.

“I am proud to report that we not only weathered the ‘great recession’, we added nearly $1 million to the general fund balance while making zero cuts to services,” Grewal said.

“Beyond fiscal stewardship, a culture of respect, inclusivity and transparency has been created in our township government,” Grewal said. “This administration has deliberately taken steps to engage with the community in an effort to ensure true representation.”

Grewal said the elected officials kept their promises of reducing spending, “restoring respectful and inclusive dialogue,” and fostering a “township that is an attractive place to live, work and recreate,” and would like to continue that trend.

For more information about the ticket, click here.

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com.

Comments

Silly Sally

Thu, May 3, 2012 : 1:44 p.m.

Grewal should be ashamed of this, not proud. A lot of this raised by unnecessary "inspections" of rental units, year after year, adding to rental costs. What is a 3-minute "inspection" costs management about $35 or even more, and then it is repeated for the re-inspection. Units can fail for something as trivial as a nail that has worked its way out. More serious revenue enchantment methods are achieved by having a building code that differs from neighboring municipalities. When we added on to our home, we encountered forced revisions to work that that was fine just a few years earlier. Safety? No! It was a money shake down. For this Many Grewal is proud. The township didn't add hundreds of jobs to the community, private businesses did.

CJ Ester

Thu, May 3, 2012 : 12:09 p.m.

Anyone who can manage to get through the past few years of crazy recession w/o laying off a single police or fire officer has my vote. No one else can make that claim. Public safety is a fundamental concern for every citizen. Job well done.

Basic Bob

Thu, May 3, 2012 : 2 p.m.

That commitment to public safety is actually a payback to the Police and Fire Unions that propelled this group into office. Even with this year's doubling of the public safety millage, I question how long the township can afford to continue 5-10% annual increases in expenditure that we have been seeing since 2008. I didn't move to Pittsfield hoping that someday we would have a cop on every corner.

annarboral

Wed, May 2, 2012 : 9:31 p.m.

It's refreshinmg to note that even though these candidates are labeled as Democrats, they really try to support the views of the entire community. I'm a conservative but I'm pleased to support their candidacy based on the results they've achieved and their ability to represent the entire community. Comparing that to Ann Arbor I'm really glad I live in Pittsfield Township!

Etail4

Wed, May 2, 2012 : 7:35 p.m.

Count me in too. My non-Pittsfield friends are actually envious of this township. Just look at how many Scio residents are upset with their government for missing the boat.

Basic Bob

Wed, May 2, 2012 : 6:30 p.m.

Mr. Lotfian is not a trustee yet. But at least they found someone willing to attend board meetings.

Sara Engle

Wed, May 2, 2012 : 6:28 p.m.

They can count on my family's vote. My neighborhood play group just talked about it last week and everyone is planning to vote to re-elect them. Absolutely love the Greenways trails and Costco and open houses and especially the police & fire folks - they are so receptive and helpful!! Being recognized for their finances was alone enough to sell me on them: http://www.pittsfieldtwp.org/news-pittsfield-CAFR-FY-2010.pdf Good luck Mandy and team!

Basic Bob

Wed, May 2, 2012 : 6:16 p.m.

I like it better when we lived in a "diverse and welcoming community". Now we are *inclusive* only if you live in Upper Saline.

ksr48

Wed, May 2, 2012 : 7:38 p.m.

So your not happy with the big bucks spent on your Hickory Pointe park?? You would rather that money was spent elsewhere? Try telling that to your neighbors.