Rollin Township has races for supervisor, trustee in Aug. 6 primary election

ROLLIN TWP. — Republican voters in Rollin Township will choose between two candidates for supervisor and three for trustee in the Aug. 6 primary .

Incumbent Supervisor Irma David is challenged by a past supervisor, Michael Clark. For trustee, voters will be able to choose two of these candidates: incumbents Olis Burch and Todd Crane or current clerk Denice Combs. There are no candidates for clerk, and incumbent treasurer Marcia Willet is unopposed.

The Daily Telegram emailed questionnaires to the candidates in the contested races using the email addresses on the list of candidates provided by the Lenawee County Clerk's Office. Their responses are printed below as provided, though they may have been edited for clarity or truncated if the answers exceeded the provided word limits. Responses were not received from Combs or Crane.

There are no Democratic Party candidates.

The candidates who win the nominations will advance to the November general election.

Township board members serve four-year terms.

Early voting is taking place through Sunday, Aug. 4, at the Human Services Building at 1040 S. Winter St. in Adrian. The polling site is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In-person voting on Election Day takes place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Rollin Township Hall, 730 Manitou Road. Absentee ballots can be requested at the township hall.

Michael Clark

Age: 71

Occupation: Retired business owner.

Spouse/kids: Wife of 45 years and high school sweetheart, Terri (Youngs) Clark; four grown daughters; and two grandchildren.

Government experience: Rollin Township supervisor 1986-92, Rollin Township Planning Commission 2014-present.

Volunteer/community service experience: Former Rollin Township supervisor, as supervisor was author of the lakes anti-funneling ordinance; second president of the Lakes Preservation League; vice president Michigan Lakes and Streams Association; chairman Neighborhood Watch Committee, 1982-92; founder and chairman of the Devils and Round lakes fireworks display Inc. nonprofit for 40 years (1983-2023) and still very active on the committee; founder and chairman of Pleasant Grove Hotel Historic Renovation Society Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to help preserve historic properties in our community and fund other community project like Manitou Beach children's art camps; have overseen Consumers Energy community tree planting grants for the past 10 years, planting over 250 trees in community schools, parks, cemeteries and roadways; co-founder/owner of Air Center Inc. in Madison Heights in 1986, retired 2022.

What do you think is the main challenge facing the township and what should be done about it? Our community has a first-class fire department, the Addison Fire Department, which faces many challenges as costs everywhere increase and past sources of funding are no longer available.

Why should people vote for you? Rollin Township has 3,054 residents living on the land and lakes. For the land, I believe in the “right to farm” and the preservation of family farms, and I oppose attempts by the state of Michigan to undermine local zoning control. (Editor’s note: answer truncated.)

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Irma David

Age: 71

Occupation: Current, Rollin Township supervisor for two terms; previous to retirement, finance and accounting professional at Procter & Gamble.

Spouse/kids: (Editor's note: left blank.)

Government experience: eight years as township supervisor; two years prior as deputy clerk; chairperson of the Lenawee County chapter of the Michigan Townships Association.

Volunteer/community service experience: Member of the Lakes Preservation League; township volunteer before becoming an employee.

What do you think is the main challenge facing the township and what should be done about it? Inflationary impacts and amount of personnel resources to meet township needs. To respond to these, we carefully budget ahead and watch spending, do competitive bidding, and look for grants. We strongly encourage community involvement to help with planning and executing projects.

Why should people vote for you? I'm running for office to best serve the needs of our township. I have current experience with township needs and requirements; I meet regularly with employees and committees and am routinely available to residents; I strive for transparency and process improvement.

Olis Burch

Age: 72

Occupation: Retired.

Spouse/kids: Married for 53 years to Lois Burch; two sons, Olis Jr. and Nathan.

Government experience: I served on the Rollin Township Planning Commission for about 16 years. I was chairman for most of them years. I have served as township trustee for two terms. I wrote the township's tower ordinance and worked on updating the ordinances. I am now a member of the zoning board of appeals and Lenawee County Drain Commission.

Volunteer/community service experience: I am a member of the St. Mary's on the Lake Catholic Church. I volunteer for services in the neighborhood, especially helping the elderly.

What do you think is the main challenge facing the township and what should be done about it? The main challenge in the township is the overcrowding of Devils and Round lakes. I feel that there should be a limit on the size of the homes. Also there should be a limit to the amount of boat slips. This would require a change in the ordinances.

Why people should vote for you? I live on a small farm. I feel I represent the whole township, rural and residential. I have a lot of experience with the local government. I am available for any questions at any time. I feel that I have a commonsense approach.

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

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Rollin Township has races for supervisor, trustee in Aug. 6 primary election