By Susan Bromley
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp.- Back to seven.
Scott Broughton is the newest township trustee, appointed by a 5-1 vote during the board’s Feb. 6 meeting.
Treasurer Terri Darnall made the motion to appoint Broughton, with support from Clerk Candee Allen, and yes votes from Supervisor Kathy Thurman and Trustees Dana DePalma and Bob Marshall. Trustee Kris Kordella voted no.
Broughton fills the seat to which Liz Waters was elected in November. Waters moved from the township and thus did not take the oath of office. The board sought candidates and eleven residents who applied to be appointed were interviewed during a special meeting Jan. 30.
“I feel Scott will be a dedicated trustee,” said Supervisor Kathy Thurman on Tuesday. “He has been coming to our meetings and has taken an interest in township business. He seems like we will be someone that is easy to work with. I thought all the candidates interviewed very well. We had a really good pool of candidates to choose from and I was glad to see the amount of interest we received.”
Broughton, 51, moved to Brandon Township nearly 21 years ago. He is a native of Beverly Hills and graduated from Southfield Christian School, going on to earn a bachelor of science degree in business administration from John Brown University in Arkansas. He was a director of information technology for a consulting firm in Southfield for more than 20 years before he retired in 2011.
Broughton began attending board meetings last June due to concerns about the proposed Iron Belle Trail. While he is not opposed to the trail itself, he objected to a route under consideration that would have used the ITC corridor. Plans to move the trail forward stalled, but Thurman has said the new board would likely discuss the project again this year, with possibly a different route.
While the trail sparked his interest in board business, Broughton wants to serve now because he feels he can make a difference.
“I want to improve communication between the board and the community,” he said. “Overall, I think the board has been doing a good job. They are being fiscally responsible with money entrusted to them and I want to see that continue.”