Dave Wagner is proud of his four years as Independence Township supervisor ? now he wants four more.
‘After the first term as supervisor, I still feel like there are still quite a few things to be accomplished,? he said.
When David Wagner took over as supervisor four years ago, Independence Township was in ‘decent financial shape,? but people still looked at Independence as a small community. The township had grown, but government business was still the same.
‘The accounting systems were probably 20 years in the past,” he said. “How we dealt with vendors was kind of like, whoever you wanted, you had.?
That was when he started looking around the state and country and seeing signs of economy change. He started looking closer at the township to make all department heads responsible for their actions and their expenses.
The township trimmed expenses and increased revenues by working in-house, rather than sending work to consultants, said Wagner.
‘The last three years, through building department doing all its own plan review, brought in over $3,000, instead of paying outside consultants,” he said. ‘These are things that we need to continue with.?
Wagner said even though housing starts this past year decreased by 92 percent, the township is still in good shape.
‘If we wouldn’t have been doing these sound practices over the last three years, we would be hurting,? he said. “Fortunately enough we have tightened our belt and we’re very sound financially.?
He said the township still needs to look to the future. Oakland County is looking at major cutbacks and layoffs, but he does not see that happening in the township.
‘We believe that because we got on the band wagon early enough and got the township under control and made sure we were watching every penny we spent,? he said.
Wagner disagrees with canidates calling for government restructuring. The current system has ‘worked for years,? he said.
‘You look around us at richer larger communities, West Bloomfield, Waterford, Commerce, White Lake, a number of them has our form of government,? he said. ‘I believe it’s a good form of government. It’s a government of the people.?
Wagner says he also disagrees with hiring a professional manager.
‘To bring a township manager in and do what they want to do will probably cost about $600,000? said Wagner
He said the combined salaries of the township’s fulltime clerk, treasurer and supervisor are about $210,000 without benefits, about $260,000 with benefits and car allowance. This is still $100,000-$200,000 less than proposed savings.
‘They also included a deputy, a deputy who has not been in the budget since it was removed a year and half ago, so they would have to add that into the budget, which would be another $80,000,” he said.
He agrees, however, with allowing people to speak without limit during Public Comment at Township Board meetings.
‘I have people that come in and speak up for me. It’s their right and their choice. Sometimes it gets to me, but they’re doing for the reasons they think are right even though I might be in disagreement with them,? said Wagner. ‘One thing about it, we have this right and it is freedom of speech and I believe in it.?
He says the township should not run like larger governments.
‘Government is this monster out there, that just feels as if they know what’s best for everybody instead of really representing the people around them, and understanding that this is their hard earned dollars that you’ve collected, so you better be a true steward of that money,” he said. “If you’re not going to do that you don’t belong here. That’s the difference I bring here. I am interested in every penny that comes in and goes out.?
Accomplishments over the past four years include building a senior center without going to the tax payers, Corridor Improvement Authority, keeping growth under control through the master plan, and bringing new jobs to the township, he said.
‘In a time when the state is losing thousands of jobs, we’ve been able to do the opposite. We’ve been able to attract them,? he said.
He is also proud of his relationship with employees, AFSME Union and Fire Fighters, as well as having a successful budget the past three years.
‘We’ve been able to negotiate two contracts with the fire fighters in record time,” he said. ‘We all know the state requires us to have a balanced budget, but every year we’ve had better than a balanced budget. It’s not through taxation. It’s through good management.?
Over the last three years, the township has had a budget surplus of $300,000, $600,000, and $650,000, he noted.
Wagner was born in Detroit, graduated from Ferndale High School and was drafted straight into the Army afterwards. He spent 19 months overseas, 1966-1968. He has four children, Lisa, Julie, Mike, and Laura, and has been married to his wife, Janice, for 26 years. They have lived in the area since 1976, part of the time in Springfield Township.
Wagner served as a trustee prior to supervisor, was safety path committee chairman, precinct delegate, and member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He was in the car business from 1968-1988. He started as a mechanic, promoted to service manager and director, and became operations manager, in charge of the entire dealership and personnel. There were 100-130 employees, half in unions, which is why Wagner says he is very familiar with unions and was even a teamster at one point. They grossed between $125-150 million a year between two stores.
‘I’ve had people say that I don’t have the educational background to know what I’m doing, but I’ve already done it,? he said. ‘I want to continue to accomplish with goals put in place which are to make the township as stable as can be, to run efficiently and not like government.?