Our pick for Oakland County Commissioner is Republican Michael Spisz.
Over the last four years as a trustee on the Oxford Township Board, Spisz has proven himself to be a true fiscal conservative and distinguished himself as a genuine champion of economic development.
Not only does Spisz want to get things done, he tackles issues head-on until he gets results.
A perfect example can be found in him leading the charge in 2009 to lower the township’s sewer rates when the fund balance was deemed too excessive and give all 3,400 sewer customers a free period (i.e. no bill) for April to June of that year. He did his homework, did the math and made the pitch, which the board approved.
Spisz also has plenty of experience in the business world, which is invaluable these days as more and more governments desperately need a healthy dose of private sector common sense and financial prudence.
We strongly urge voters to pick Michael Spisz as their District #3 representative on the Oakland County Board of Commissioners.
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For the four trustee seats on the Oxford Township Board our picks are Sue Bellairs, Melvin (Buck) Cryderman, Patti Durr and Jack Curtis.
Bellairs has long been a voice of reason and common sense on the board. She often casts a dissenting vote, which is a good thing. Boards that constantly have unanimous votes aren’t leading ? they’re being led. Bellairs has always been a fearless advocate for the taxpayers, for fiscal responsibility and for accountability. We appreciate that so much.
Cryderman is a truly nice guy who works hard and just wants to do right by the people he serves. Even though he’s not required to as a trustee, Cryderman is constantly at the township office studying documents, asking questions and keeping an eye on things. He’s definitely a hands-on trustee who believes his job is much more than just attending one meeting a month. Cryderman really earns his pay and he’s really earned our trust.
Durr is a former township employee who now wishes to serve her community in an elected capacity. She ran for township clerk back in 2004 and lost by just 35 votes. Obviously, lots of folks trusted and supported her back then. We think she finally deserves a shot at the big show. We believe her past experience in township government will be invaluable to the board.
Curtis could easily be called ‘Mr. Oxford.? His mission is simple ? make the community prosper via increased economic development, strong home values and more jobs. He wants to do this by eliminating the red-tape obstacles facing companies and entrepreneurs seeking to do business here, while simultaneously enacting more pro-growth policies. His experience serving on the planning commission and chairing the Economic Development Subcommittee make him a natural choice for township trustee.
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Over in Addison Township, treasurer is the only contested race in the primary election. We pick incumbent Dan Alberty.
Addison’s in really good financial shape and has consistently been extremely frugal with its money.
Property taxes are low and the township’s not buried beneath a mountain of debt or drowning in a sea of red ink.
What more could a taxpayer possibly ask for, especially in these tough times?
We realize Alberty did not accomplish all this by himself, but he was part of the township board team that did.
If a team is working like a well-oiled machine and obviously on a winning streak, why would anyone want to get rid of one of its members? This is no time for a trade.
We see no reason to change horses in Addison.
Alberty deserves another four years.
As for his challenger Lori Fisher, her business knowledge and community involvement could one day become valuable assets to the township board, so we encourage her to run for a seat in 2016.
Should the township board experience a vacancy over the next four years, we’d encourage officials to appoint Fisher to fill it.