By David Fleet
Editor
Groveland Twp. — On Monday night, Groveland Township Clerk Patti Back announced her retirement effective Sept. 30. The board then voted 4-0 to appoint Jenell Keller, the current township deputy clerk, to step in as interim clerk effective Oct. 1. Back abstained from the vote. Keller will serve as clerk until Back’s term expires in November 2024.
“I am blessed to have been here,” said Back. “I answered an ad in the newspaper back in 1997 to work for the fire department and I’ve been here ever since. It’s been an honor to serve the residents of Groveland and work with Fire Chiefs Steve and Marilyn McGee along with Supervisor Bob DePalma for more than two decades. I’ve truly enjoyed the job.”
“I have no second thoughts about Janell stepping in as clerk, she is going to ‘knock it out of the park’ for the township,” added Back. “Janell is going to be just as committed and do a great job for the community. The upcoming 2024 election is going to be big, with a lot of changes.”
In the spring of 1997, Back first worked for the township fire department with then fire chief Marilyn McGee.
“I was Marilyn’s fire administrator,” said Back. “I did a variety of tasks for the fire department from including sending bills out when they started cost recovery.”
In 2007 she moved from the fire department to the township office as a full time building administrator along with working with elections.
When Carol Clark retired as township deputy clerk in 2009, Patti moved into her position and served with Township Clerk Pam Mazich until her retirement in 2018. Back was then appointed as interim clerk. In the 2020 August Primary Back won the GOP nomination over challenger Nichole Tolliver. Then in the November 2020 election, Back ran unopposed.
Back, a Clawson native and 1977 graduate of Clawson High School moved to the township in 1989. Patti and husband Greg, have four children: Joshua, Jodie, Jacqueline and Jolene, all Brandon High School graduates. The couple has 11 grandchildren.
Back earned the Michigan Township Association Governance certification (2015), Certified Michigan Municipal Clerk (2017) and Michigan Election Officials Accreditation (2012).