Fort Gratiot voters will have a few big decisions to make in the local primary election next month with multiple Republican candidates vying to move ahead in the roles of supervisor, treasurer, and trustee.
And top of mind for many is being able to help influence in the outcomes of two ongoing things: A proposed solar panel project rejected by the planning commission and now tied up in court , and the development of a township campground off Parker Road .
“I was definitely against that, and it just sort of poked my interest again,” Thomas Schlitts, one of three hopefuls for the GOP nod for supervisor, said referring to the solar issue.
He and fellow supervisor candidates Nathan Oprita and Rob Montgomery each tout their own past experience with the township as part of their qualifications for the gig with the winner Aug. 6 so far moving on to the November general election without a listed Democratic opponent.
They also all list supporting local business as a focal point.
Schlitts served two and a half terms as a trustee on the township board in the ‘90s before, he said, he left to open a Tim Horton’s in Lansing. He is the current owner of Mr. T’s Convenience Store, which experienced a fire earlier this year, temporarily closing, on North River Road.
Now, Schlitts said he wants to make sure the township is spending its money conservatively and on the right projects, emphasizing the Parker Road effort as an example of one “that might need to have a second opinion.”
“Just because you’ve been involved in a municipality for 20, 30 years, 15 years, doesn’t make you qualified to run a township,” he said. “These municipalities need to be more run like a business, and I’ve got 26 years of banking experience, I’ve got 12 years in private business, and all that I think is definitely needed. You need to have that business background and self-employment background. So, in this township, doing the best we can for the small business guy or gal, the small businessperson, we just can’t continue to look for the big chains.”
Oprita is a current planning commissioner of six years — and among the body that rejected the massive solar development before the entity, Portside Solar, appealed the call in circuit court — as well as the commission’s representative on the zoning board of appeals.
He recalled the solar issue, which drew massive meeting crowds as 2023 came to an end, as among the biggest recent issues that’s faced the township, particularly now ahead of a state law that takes effect this November, prioritizing authority of the Michigan Public Service Commission in siting massive renewable energy projects over local control.
Moving forward, Oprita, who owns the sign and graphics shop Image Authentics, said he wants to help balance everything Fort Gratiot features, from its commercial sector to its farmland and presence on the lake.
“I think that my relationships of 24 years with many business owners within the township and within the Port Huron area is going to benefit me as supervisor with things that come up,” he said. “I think an item of interest for me that I tell people, for Fort Gratiot … the sales tax within the township is really where we get a lot of our money. So, I don’t think a lot of people know that. It’s important to keep all our businesses in the township and keep them happy. And as one of them, I know what that’s like and the struggles they have, the pros and the cons.”
Montgomery served as a trustee for one term until 2020 when he lost a previous bid for the chief elected spot against current Supervisor Rob Crawford, who’s running for trustee instead this year. He's also a local parks commissioners, citing excitement for projects, whether its adding an accessible walk to the beach, new park signage, or approaching pickleball courts
He said he wanted to see improved infrastructure and improved communication both between departments within the township, as well as Fort Gratiot and other communities. A former paid-on-call member of Fort Gratiot’s fire department and past full-timer with Port Huron fire, he said he’s kept up relationships with township employees and attendance at meetings, hoping to bridge details about community issues to residents themselves.
“You would be surprised at the amount of people that don’t even know or realize that we’re building a campground on Parker Road that is mainly funded with local taxpayer dollars,” Montgomery said of the project, which does have some grant funds involved. On attracting new business, he added, “We used to have a community development director. … But we really didn’t fill that after she left. So, the businesses coming to Fort Gratiot are basically coming on their own. We didn’t see the potentiality and win them from somebody else.”
Other Fort Gratiot races
The role of supervisor is a full-time position with a four-year term, as is township clerk and treasurer.
Clerk Bob Buechler is running unopposed as a Republican in this year’s election, and there was no listed Democrat, according to the St. Clair County clerk’s office.
Current Treasurer George Wells, who was appointed mid-term last year, is facing Michaela Garand.
With seven Republican candidates running for trustee and no Democrats listed, four GOP candidates will move on so far unchallenged for four open seats on the township board. Like the full-time elected officers, their terms are four years.
The trustee hopefuls include incumbents Linda Bruckner, Scott Bradley, and Adam "AJ" Armbruster.
Making a transition from supervisor, Crawford, who was also a long-time township clerk before becoming supervisor, is running for trustee, citing his own retirement from the full-time gig.
“I am running for trustee to continue to be involved in several projects we have started,” he said. “Those projects include the (Michigan Department of Natural Resources) Passport Grant to build a trail, our application for a DNR land and water grant to start an RV campground, engineering grant to cover the cost to design a sanitary sewer service for the campground and a request for federal funding to build the sewer for the Parker West property.”
“I have 31 years of experience on the Fort Gratiot Board of Trustees,” Crawford added. “I have been involved with the day to day operations since January of 2022.”
Armbruster, a local chiropractor, is amid his first term as a trustee and also cites founding the Blue Water Young Professionals in 2009 and ongoing Little League involvement as roles he’s served in the community.
“We have stuff kind of in the process within the township, some bigger projects, and other things happening, and because of the transition in the supervisor role, I wanted to be there for the new person,” he said. “… All three of them technically have township experience, but I think it’ll be nice to help with the guy coming in for the new spot.”
When asked about those bigger projects, Armbruster pointed to the concern about industrial solar, as well as Parker Road.
“It started out as a multi-use recreational sports facility with a campground, and now, it’s transitioned to just a campground to begin with,” he said.
Bradley, who also serves on the ZBA, said he’s going on his fifth term. A local Rotarian volunteer, he’s been the sales and marketing manager for Community Enterprises/Blue Water Secure Shreddign for 18 years.
He said he initially ran for office to give back, and like Armbruster, wanted to continue to make decisions and “keep Fort Gratiot growing in the right direction.”
“As elected board member(s), we are working hard on upgrading our parks, ballfields, dog parks, and working on a campground and pickleball courts for all to enjoy,” Bradley said. “I’d like to continue to work on it and see this completed.
“I’m still the firm believer that as a board member, you must use due diligence on all your decisions that involve the monies of the residents of the township.”
Bruckner has served for four terms as trustee and has also been a member of the township’s election commissioner and chairperson of the Blue Water Area Transportation Commission. A retired East China School District social worker, she said via email her family has long-valued community service.
“I believe in giving my time to my community for service,” she said in a message. “I believe that now is the time to have experienced leadership in Fort Gratiot Township. I will continue to do my best to make sure that the budget stays balanced, the services to our township are preserved, and that the people are heard.”
The other trustee candidates are Michael Levey, Mark Smith, and David Norris. Levey couldn’t be reached for comment.
Smith is a retired grounds foreman for the township’s public works and said he still does part-time jobs for the fire department and also works for a local funeral home.
In an interview last week, he said he wanted to get more involved with the township as a trustee to make a difference, work with residents and understand the township’s budget better. He was also interested in growth, attracting new residents, and he said he thought his township employee experience would help other board members better understand local projects.
“I’m an honest person. So, I think the township residents can trust what I say, and I will always support them first,” Smith said. “I’ve been employed 43 years and I’ve lived here 62, so being employed at someplace that long and getting to know other board members over the years, I just think it’ll help with my experience in the different departments.”
A retiree, Norris said he's been a frequent attendee of Fort Gratiot Township Board meetings over thel ast 20 years, and that's he's gained an understanding for trustees' duties.
"I am running to give the Fort Gratiot Township residents a choice of another candidate," he said. Since the township has grown "immensely over the years," he said, "we need to have responseible leadership going forward."
"I believe that government just can't keeping spending money like it does today, spending money that it doesn't have," Norris said. "Putting debt onto taxpayers now and the future. Fort Gratiot is required to have a balanced budget by law. I will make sure the residents' tax dollars are spent wisely.
Running for treasurer, Garand said she’s been waiting for the right time to run for office and thought she’d be able to help provide a fresh perspective to local government as a mother of a young family. She cited her experience previously as a teacher and in an associate marketing director role at a large education company, where she said she’s helped manage a marketing budget, bringing all media buying in house to manage.
“In that role, I was able to eradicate wasteful spending and use the newly available funds to increase impact and lead generation,” she said via email. “After this, I worked as a district liaison for state (Sen.) Dan Lauwers’ office before taking a break to grow our family over the last few years. Now, I’m ready to jump back in and serve my community in a new way.”
Though she listed no elected or appointed experience in the township, Garand said she served on the housing commission and a sister city committee in Port Huron.
Last year, before his appointment, Wells told township board members he’d spent decades in business and retired for a higher-up position at Mortimer Lumber that June. In addition to his near year as treasurer, he's also been involved in the community via his church and with local softball organizations.
"I am running to retain my position as treasurer because I enjoy what I am doing. Fort Gratiot Township is a great place to live and raise a family. I would like to continue to contribute to keep it that way," Wells said. "The people I work with and the residents I come in contact with are a pleasure to associate with. It gives me great pleasure when I can help someone solve their problem or answer their questions or address their concerns. The sense of accomplishment that I feel when a plan comes together is priceless."
Contact reporter Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com .
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Crowded races for supervisor, trustee before Fort Gratiot voters Aug. 6
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