Sumpter Township board clashes over deputy supervisor vote

By Sarah Rigg
Managing Editor

Editor’s note: The proposed salary for deputy supervisor has been corrected from the original number we published. The Independent apologizes for the error.

At its July 14 meeting, the Sumpter Township board of trustees voted on whether to approve the appointment of T.J. Bowman as deputy supervisor for the township, effective July 14 at a salary of $8,200 per year.

Trustee Matthew Oddy said he was “on the record” as saying he doesn’t believe the township needs a deputy supervisor.

There was a lengthy discussion of whether he could be appointed when the scope of his duties was unknown. Oddy also noted that the optics on past deputy supervisor appointments weren’t good, as they tended to appoint a spouse, child, or other relative as their deputy.

A screen capture from a video of the Sumpter Township trustee meeting.

At first, deputy supervisor duties were describe as “statutory,” meaning only the duties mandated by law. Oddy pointed out that a very limited scope of activities is included in the statutory duties like passing a budget and signing contracts and did not include acting as a delegate to meetings such as those with the Conference of Western Wayne. Bowman then asked if the title could be “deputy supervisor plus” to encompass more duties.

The motion failed on a 3-3 vote, and when it failed, Supervisor Timothy Bowman said he was through with the meeting and asked another trustee to take over.

Oddy said that he wasn’t saying that Bowman couldn’t serve as Bowman’s deputy, only that there needed to be a description of the expected hours and scope of duties and a discussion of pay and benefits before they could approve paying someone $8,200 per year.

Bowman then threw his pen and agenda on the floor and said, “I’m out of here,” and left the other trustees to finish the meeting.

In other news, the Sumper Township board:

• Presented a commendation for 25 years of volunteer service with the Sumpter Senior Center to Christine Wenderski.
• Heard a complaint from the owner of Sammy Auto Sales at 17450 Savage Rd. about unclear instructions from the planning commission about changes to the site use plan. Trustee Oddy proposed a meeting to collect the necessary information and provide the requested changes in writing to the owner.
• Received and filed department reports including the supervisor’s report, the attorney’s report, a finance report, a police/ordinance report, a building report, and a fire report.
• Discussed the success of the township’s Sumpter Summer Jam celebration despite severe weather interrupting evening events. Township staff reported over 500 in attendance.
• Put a moratorium on department purchases until all department heads go through a training on how to propertly make purchases and submit invoices to the township for reimbursement. The fire and police departments are exempt from the temporary moratorium.
• Accepted the non-duty disability retirement of Elizabeth Egerer.
• Approved a zoning compliance form and fee schedule.
• Approved a final separation PTO/Vacation payout of $5,600 for Ken Martens.
• Accepted a Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System (CLEMIS) Authority resolution and agreement.
• Approved replacing the township hall’s women and men’s restroom walls for $8,600.
• Approved an application by Brian Messer for an annual private fireworks display at his Judd Road residence for July 18.
• Went into a private session to discuss three issues, including the township’s lawsuit against Republic and negotiations with unionized township employees.

Note: All Sumpter Township trustee meetings are posted to their YouTube channel, along with a selection of some of their planning meetings. July’s planning meeting isn’t available online due to a technical issue with the recording.