Editorial: Who will be able to replace Alan Bates?

On Christmas Eve the Treasurer of Sumpter Township Alan Bates had a heart attack and left us for a better place. His sudden passing was a shock to everyone who knew him and put a pall of sadness across the holiday in Sumpter.
The Sumpter Township supervisor and board now must act quickly to fill this vacancy on the board within 45 days or the county or state will fill the position.
Treasurer Bates, who spent many years as a trustee, had been appointed treasurer in 2014 and ran for first-time election to the office and was elected Nov. 8.
Officials could choose Lydia Graber who came in second in the primary with just 133 fewer votes than Bates, but they probably won’t. Seated officials were quite curt to other Democrats who presumed to run against them. We doubt if they will invite any of them to the table.
Since the total compensation for treasurer is about $30,000, no one with a good job within the township will want to move over to an elective position and make less, even with health care and a cell phone. The supervisor probably will accept the names of people who are interested in the job and then sort them out to see who will be best and recommend the name to the board.
Alan Bates had deep roots in the community, built many of the homes in the township, gave countless hours of volunteer effort for parks and recreation, and had a college education. He will be very difficult to replace for such a key position. We wish officials well.