Kevon Martis, David Pixley Sr. seek nomination in Lenawee County District 7 primary

A first-term Lenawee County commissioner faces a challenge from a current township supervisor in the Aug. 6 primary election .

Lenawee County Commissioner Kevon Martis of Riga Township and Palmyra Township Supervisor David Pixley Sr. are running for the Republican Party nomination in District 7. The Daily Telegram sent questionnaires to them, and their responses are printed as provided, though they may have been edited for clarity or truncated if the answers exceeded the given word limits.

There are no Democratic Party candidates.

District 7 covers Blissfield, Deerfield, Ogden, Palmyra, Ridgeway and Riga townships, including the villages of Blissfield, Britton and Deerfield.

Profiles of the candidates in District 2 , District 3 , District 4 and District 5 have been published. The candidates in District 8 also will be profiled.

In-person voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 6. Early voting for all precincts in District 7 will run from July 27 to Aug. 4, including weekends, at the Human Services Building, 1040 S. Winter St. in Adrian. Those hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

County commissioners elected in November will serve four-year terms. That is a statewide change with this year's election. The terms begin Jan. 1.

Kevon Martis

Age: 58

Occupation: owner of Kevon Martis and Associates, residential general contractor.

Spouse/kids: Wife, Karrie, and two sons, Noah and Adam.

Government experience: Seven years as vice chairman of Riga Township Planning Commission, four years as Deerfield Township Zoning Administrator and finishing first term as county commissioner.

Volunteer/community service experience: Founding director of the Interstate Informed Citizens Coalition, a rural energy advocacy group; founder of Our Home, Our Voice, which supports local regulation of renewable energy siting; and founder of Citizens for Local Choice, which seeks to recover local control of renewable energy siting,

Why are you running for this position? I am running to continue to be a strong, fiscally conservative voice for my district with respect to county policies. In the past, residents and local leaders have felt they were kept in the dark, and I have reversed that and will continue to do so.

What do you think is the main challenge facing the county, and what should be done about it? Foremost is a possible $97 million replacement for the Rex Martin building. The scale/cost of this proposal is concerning, and my experience as a general contractor will be critical to help a cost-effective solution that meets the needs of the courts. We are still saddled with the Tecumseh Products property for which the county paid $2.3 million before receiving an appraisal showing it was essentially worthless. Our board voted 5-4 not to sell the property for a period of four years and to never sell this blighted industrial land for industrial uses. I am committed to reversing that terrible decision.

Why should people vote for you? Working with like-minded colleagues, I have successfully increased transparency, tightened conflict-of-interest rules, enacted our first-ever ethics policy and eliminated unnecessary spending on things like a lobbying firm and social media sniffing Zencity software. I have established email district updates and quarterly district roundtable meetings which is why I enjoy the support of the majority of our local officials. And I have worked hard on economic development and am part of a group of local officials that have helped Zeeland Farm Services acquire the long-dormant Riga ethanol plant. If elected, voters can expect the same strong performance.

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David Pixley Sr.

Age: 69

Occupation: Palmyra Township supervisor, retired from Lenawee County Road Commission.

Spouse/kids: Wife: Kathy; adult children: Rebecca Brewer, Dave Pixley Jr., Laura Fisher.

Government experience: Palmyra Township supervisor, four years; Lenawee County Solid Waste Committee member, four years, currently chairman; Lenawee County Materials Management Committee, currently chairman.

Volunteer/community service experience: Lenawee County 4-H, chairman of the board, 14 years; MSU Extension Lenawee County, president, six years; Lenawee County 4-H leader; Blissfield Little League coach.

Why are you running for this position? I would like to see Lenawee County grow and improve. I feel that I could be a non-biased, positive voice on the county commission.

What do you think is the main challenge facing the county, and what should be done about it? Lack of affordable housing: The county needs to work with local governments to encourage zoning changes and incentives for affordable housing.

Why should people vote for you? As township supervisor, I have attended multiple trainings through the Michigan Townships Association. I try to stay on top of local and county issues as well as what is happening within the state. I listen to residents and I am honest and fair with my decisions. I am willing to put in the time to research an issue so that the right decision is made. I feel that my knowledge and principles would be an asset to the county commission.

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian .

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Kevon Martis, David Pixley Sr. seek nomination in Lenawee County District 7 primary