Outgoing Washtenaw Commissioner Ken Schwartz to be nominated for Road Commission seat
Washtenaw County Commissioner Ken Schwartz listens during Wednesday night's county board meeting. After his ouster in the Nov. 2 election, he appears poised to move on to an appointed position on the Washtenaw County Road Commission's governing board.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Chairman Rolland Sizemore Jr. said he will nominate outgoing Commissioner Ken Schwartz to fill an upcoming vacancy on the county's Road Commission board.
Schwartz, a Democrat, was defeated by Republican Dan Smith in his re-election bid in the county's 2nd District on Nov. 2. If approved by the county board, he would replace departing Road Commissioner David Rutledge, who won his bid for the 54th District state House seat.
Seven other candidates submitted resumes to the county clerk’s office for the Road Commission seat. Many appeared before county township supervisors and officials at a recent informal monthly meeting. Schwartz hasn't applied to the clerk’s office and didn't attend that meeting.
Sizemore said he's confident Schwartz, who serves as one of his parents’ several attorneys, has the ability to serve on the Road Commission’s board.
“As far as I’m concerned, I would like to see Ken appointed to the seat,” Sizemore said. “I think we need more input linked to our board. I don’t feel the residents are being heard very well from the Road Commission administration, and I think it’s time we stopped that.”
Sizemore added Schwartz knows the townships well and how their governments work.
“I assume that he knows something about roads and the way the officials take care of people,” Sizemore said.
The county board will vote on the appointment at its Dec. 1 meeting. The deadline to apply was Oct. 8.
In an email to AnnArbor.com, Schwartz wrote that several commissioners asked him to serve on the Road Commission’s board after his defeat. He cited his experience as a two-term township trustee and member of the county board since 2007.
“I understand the issues at the Road Commission and people know me,” he wrote. “If the board wants me to serve in that capacity I'll do it, but if they don't, I won't.”
Candidates who have filed applications for the seat include:
- Mary Beth Day, chair of the Washtenaw County Conservation District.
- James Drolett, a planning and zoning administrator in Chelsea and former Dexter Township supervisor from 1982 to 1996. Drolett also served on the Michigan Township Association Board of Directors.
- Scott Hummel, a teacher in Dearborn Public Schools. Hummel also served as treasurer of the Dearborn Federation of Teachers.
- Roger Kappler, a senior executive at several companies over the last 25 years and former chair of the Sharon Township Planning Commission.
- Jeffery Lewis, Milan police chief.
- E.A. Jackson Morris, a former teacher and administrator with Ann Arbor Public Schools, and former member and chair of the Pittsfield Township Planning Commission.
- Kenny Siler, a current farmer in Manchester with extensive experience as an automotive engineer.
Road Commissioners serve six-year terms and are compensated $10,000 annually. Thee Road Commissioners serve the county.
Wes Prater faced a similar situation in 2006 when he lost his re-election bid to the county board and was subsequently appointed to the Road Commission’s board. He later moved back onto the county board when he won the 4th District seat in the next election and gave up the Road Commission seat.
At Wednesday's county board meeting, Prater called the upcoming appointment to the Road Commission's board "very important."
Sizemore used Wednesday's meeting to reiterate his concerns with the Road Commission.
"I am not happy with management of the Road Commission," he said. "I do not think they listen to the residents. I do not think they listen to the commissioners."
Sizemore added the current administrators "don't call people back" and "maybe it's time to look at different management in the Road Commission."
Commissioner Kristin Judge expressed interest in conducting interviews of the Road Commission candidates prior to the decision on Dec. 1. No formal decision was made on whether to go through interviews.
AnnArbor.com government reporter Ryan J. Stanton contributed to this story. Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com.
Comments
Alex Brown
Mon, Nov 22, 2010 : 11:53 a.m.
Kristin - you don't need to go to the thumb - Monroe County moved to elected road commissioners a while back and in the November general election elected their first one. If there was a deadline set to apply why is it not being observed? Isn't Sizemore's rationale a conflict of interest? how much of a discount is Schwartz going to give Sizemore's parents?
altruty
Fri, Nov 19, 2010 : 8:21 a.m.
This smells the high heaven of the Good Old Boy network. Talk about "reduce, reuse, recycle", and not in a green way. It is time that the Commissioners reflect on their own record, the status of the County finances and their own performance on "the residents not being heard very well". Shame on Commissioner Sizemore for saying this, and then leading this scam by scratching Commissioner Schwartz's back. How nice, how friendly, and how convenient. The Commissioners should be looking to bring in some new blood and choose between one of the candidates that actually applied for the job, instead of doing an end run around the right thing.
Kristin Judge
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 5:24 p.m.
@TreeTown "I wrote to Mrs. Judge to complain our roads. She told me the county board has no control of the road board." To clarify, we have no control over the Road Commission Budget. We have always had the power to appoint the road commissioners. Although Commissioner Sizemore will be recommending Commissioner Schwartz, the board will still need to vote on an appointment. Three commissioners asked at our meeting last night for a chance to interview candidates for the position. We are looking to Commissioner Sizemore to set up those interviews. The decision on who the next Road Commissioner will be has not yet been made by the board. A county in the thumb area of Michigan just recently changed the Road Commission appointments to elected positions. Each Road Commissioner would be elected by the county residents. Doing that could make them more responsive to the residents and prevent any of the "old boy network" from deciding who represents the people and spends the tax dollars. Here is an article about it: http://www.tuscolatoday.com/index.php/2010/08/04/first-road-commission-election-hosted-in-primary/ Maybe AnnArbor.com could do a survey to see if residents would be interested in having road commissioners elected. I am asking our legal representative to find out more about how that would be done. Stay tuned..... Call or email me anytime with questions. judgek@ewashtenaw.org or 646-2088 @TreeTown, please send me a copy of the email you wrote to me, I will be sure to clarify.
cinnabar7071
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 3:42 p.m.
Is this a fallback postion, when Prater wasn't elected last time he was also appointed to the road board. Thats really messed up when we say we don't want you working for us, then the good old boys put in in a spot at the road commission untill they can get you reelected.
treetowncartel
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 2:34 p.m.
And who says there is no honor amongst thieves?
ActiveParticipant
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 11:39 a.m.
I thought when the people voted you out of office you would have sense enough to leave. Not being wanted should make you feel like leaving. Are you so poor that you need to accept a hand out job? Lets get real, you lost that means the people want you to leave not to just shift government jobs.
snoper
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 10:54 a.m.
Let's just tip our hats to the good old boy network now, and call this seat what it is: a placeholder for people who lose their elections.
FedUp2010
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 10:54 a.m.
How typical of the Commissioners. Appoint a loser, one of your own. Bypass the process followed by all the other candidates. Doesn't anyone remember the mess Ken Schwartz was involved in while Augusta Township counsel? And Mr. Sizemore should do the honorable thing and abstain from appointing his father's attorney to any board or commission. This certainly has the appearance of a conflict. If Mr. Schwartz is appointed will we soon find Mr. Sizemore on the staff of the WCRC? The police chief should be appointed. He understands about the true costs when roads are not maintained during the winter, the cost for emergency response as well as to the vehicle owner. Let Ken Schwartz go back to evicting tennants from the Sizemore buildings! The people have already spoken - they do not want him representing them - Not on the Board of Commissioners nor on the Road Commission.
Girl Friday
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 8:40 a.m.
Washtenaw County Commissioners interview and appoint the road commissioners. However, for some reason the road commissioners do not report to them. My personal experience has told me that there are road commissioners that do not listen to citizen's. It is certainly time to get new people into the WCRC to better manage and who perhaps do not have their own agenda.
TreeTown
Thu, Nov 18, 2010 : 8:03 a.m.
I wrote to Mrs. Judge to complain our roads. She told me the county board has no control of the road board. Now she is going to interview the candidates! Ha! Ha! Ha! (And the road boards told me my their budget is from the state not me. Gees, I thought I paid the state tax too. Am I a fool or they?????)