Dexter Township has a new Supervisor

The Dexter Township Board picked Karen Sikkenga to be the new Township Supervisor.

The township board made the pick at its May 16 meeting, where four candidates were considered to take over for Diane Ratkovich, who stepped down from the role on May 12. For the board, it came down to Sikkenga and Janis Miller. Sikkenga was selected by a 4 to 2 vote of the board with Maris Metz and Michelle Stamboulellis picking Miller and Laura Sanders, Karen Nolte, Lonnie Scott and Sikkenga picking Sikkenga.

The Sun Times News (STN) asked about the vote, specifically of Sikkenga voting for herself and against Miller’s appointment. Board trustee Lonnie Scott said that “question was posed at the beginning of our meeting and township counsel advised that there was legal precedent which stated that the board member leaving the board (in this case, Diane Ratkovich) does not get to vote on the replacement, but all other sitting board members, including those who may be being considered, could participate in the vote.”

Sikkenga was elected to the board in 2020 and now she will serve as supervisor through to the 2024 election. With this change on the board there will now be an open seat for a trustee.

STN followed up with Sikkenga about her new role and asked her what she would like the community to know.

“I'd like the community to know that Dexter Township is served by an outstanding Board of Trustees, which has accomplished a tremendous amount in just two and a half years in office,” Sikkenga said.

“We've invested substantially in local road improvements, initiated farmland and open space preservation, improved our investment practices and return on investment, initiated a professional master plan, increased our community engagement through clean-up days, coffee hours, a new web site, and newsletters (virtual and paper), and much more,” she said. “We've been able to accomplish all this because every member of our board is community-minded, actively engaged, and eager to put time and effort into improving lives in Dexter Township. I have been serving elected officials throughout most of my career, and I'm proud to be a member of one of the most active and community-minded boards I've seen.”

She said her “own expertise is exactly suited to the responsibilities of the supervisor: I have deep expertise and education in budget and policy, and also in day-to-day operations for local government. Dexter Township is fortunate in having robust fund balances and an ongoing operational surplus (excluding capital expenses).”

“I am excited by the opportunity to serve our community, and use my skills and experience to further our board's great work on behalf of township residents,” Sikkenga said.

She is encouraging township residents to contact her at supervisor@dextertownship.org if they have any thoughts or suggestions, and also to enroll in the eNewsletter by emailing info@dextertownship.org.

To see the previous story on this topic, go to https://thesuntimesnews.com/g/dexter-mi/n/158110/four-apply-be-next-dexter-township-supervisor