Collin Walls was tossing a football with his grandson during a recent trip to Florida when the answer to a long-pondered question finally came to him.
After serving 32 years as Springfield Township supervisor, Walls will not seek reelection in November.
‘It’s time for a change for Springfield,? he said, ‘And time for a change for me.?
The decision to step down, he continued, was difficult and fraught with emotion.
‘I made up my mind several times and changed it again,? said Walls, who first took his seat behind the supervisor’s desk in 1976. ‘But it gets harder and harder not to be complacent’it’s better if you’re always excited about what you’re doing, and always able to look forward in a positive way. It gets harder and harder to keep that way.?
Walls, 65, was born and raised in Springfield Township, where his family’s name first appears on record books dating back to 1836.
Reflecting on 32 years in office, Walls said it’s the people he met and worked with along the way he’ll remember most.
‘Most people assume that what you would remember is changes and development, and certainly that’s part of it,? said Walls in a voice cracked by emotion. ‘But it’s the people who worked for years to keep the Springfield in Springfield that meant so much to me. Therefore, what you don’t see is what I’ll remember.?
To Walls, Springfield is a personality; a rural character.
‘It’s natural,? he explained. ‘It’s what God gave us.?
Walls first ran for supervisor in 1970, and lost by six votes. The numbers were even closer next time around, but in 1976 he lost again’this time by just two votes.
‘I’ve made up my mind that I will request a recount,? he told The Clarkson News in 1976, ‘but I don’t anticipate it will make any difference in the outcome.?
Indeed, the only difference was the number of votes that kept Walls from claiming the supervisor’s office as his own. He actually lost by three votes, rather than two.
But then-incumbent supervisor Donald Rogers resigned shortly after the new term began, and Walls was appointed to replace him.
‘Originally my intention was to be supervisor for two years,? he laughed. ‘It was a long two years.?
Back then, he said, newspapers frequently painted Springfield Township as community marred by problems and conflict.
‘I knew that did not accurately reflect this community,? he said. ‘I thought it would be better if we could find a way to work together, and I assumed during that two years I would be able to accomplish what then was my major goal.?
That goal, he said, was to ‘put the positive back in Springfield Township.?
After working with Walls for some 19 years, Springfield Township Clerk Nancy Strole believes Walls was successful in that mission.
‘I don’t think there’s any person who can doubt Collin’s passion and commitment to the community and to Springfield Township,? she said. ‘It’s been there from the very beginning’Collin has always had a vision for the township, and that made an enormous difference. It will be part of his legacy in a very good way.?
During the 80s, she said, Walls and several other key players took an important role in securing the grant Springfield Township received for acquisition of land now called the Shiawassee Basin Preserve.
The land, said Strole, is identified as a world class resource.
‘Collin, along with others has played a significant role in the area of planning and natural resource conservation and the vision to see how our natural resources could be preserved and enhanced and celebrated,? said Strole, ‘while also accommodating and even welcoming development.?
But Strole also acknowledged Walls has had residents in his office who disagree or become downright angry with the supervisor’s decisions.
‘You’re never going to please all the people all the time as an elected official,? she said. ‘A person wouldn’t be doing a straight up job if that was the case.?
Still, Walls can’t claim he’s not bothered by the fact.
‘Knowing there are people out there who don’t like me as a person weighs on me,? he said. ‘I don’t mind if they don’t like my decisions, but it saddens me to know there are some who don’t like me as a person.?
But Walls said he believes in the courage of his conviction, and following the rules, even when the result is angry residents.
‘I realized a long time ago that the only thing you get riding on a fence is splinters, he said.
Now that he’s stepping down, Walls said he hopes a ‘brave? member of the community will step into the supervisor shoes he’ll leave behind, noting that following in the tracks of anyone who’s held a position for more than three decades will be difficult.
Although Walls said he has not groomed a successor and doesn’t know who will replace him, he has ‘faith in the community.?
Walls expressed hope the next supervisor will be someone who wants to be of service to the community and looks at the position as an opportunity to serve, rather than promote his or her own political interests.
That person should also possess a great deal of self confidence’so much, he said, that ‘they’re not on an ego trip.?
‘One thing I’ve noticed,? said Walls, noting he’s known a great many township supervisors over the years, ‘is those who have an ‘I disease,? who refer to everything as I, me, and mine, don’t typically last very long in public service, or if they do they don’t accomplish a great deal.?
A new supervisor, he said, will be charged with dealing with the same sagging economy challenging municipalities across Michigan. Other more long-term issues include managing growth and the impact of growth and continuing to see the importance of balancing development with the protection of the township’s natural resources.
Township government is unique and sometimes very difficult, he said.
‘No one is in charge, and those supervisors who think they are usually get brought up short real quick,? he said.
‘The bottom line is you need somebody who is willing to be a team player.?