Webster Township Looks to Select a New Supervisor

Webster Township has three unique candidates vying for the vacant Supervisor role.

The supervisor candidates are George Goodman, Peter Stevens and John Scharf. The township board and gathered public at a special meeting on June 30, where each candidate gave a stump speech and participated in a Question and Answer period with the board.

The role was made vacant after the resignation of former supervisor Mike DeAngelo at a meeting in early June.  The board is expected to appoint a new supervisor at a meeting on July 14. That individual will serve in the role until it is up for election in November 2028.

The Candidates

In their stump speeches, each candidate gave the reasons why they were seeking the position. Each candidate is a resident of the township.

Goodman, who is retired from Federal Law Enforcement and was a Senior Special Agent, has served on the township planning commission and describes himself as a small operation farmer on his 18 acres of land in the township.

“I decided to apply for the position for supervisor for various reasons,” Goodman said as part of his opening speech. “Early in life, I learned the importance of community service. From family members to scouting leaders, I was shown the various ways to lead and volunteer within the community. I have always had the ability to listen to others with an open mind and empathy. It just comes natural for me. I’m also known for having a common sense approach when problem solving.”

Goodman said he brings with him extensive experience in conflict resolution and a lead by example attitude. He said he believes he has a grasp of the issues through many conversations with residents and a good working relationship with the board and township staff. He said he also understands the value and importance of land preservation, open space, property rights and “maintaining the rural character of Webster Township.”

Scharf is the current township treasurer and prior to that served as a board trustee first elected in 2016, and he’s on the Dexter Area Fire Board and is president of the Dexter Senior Center Board. He is also retired from work in the world of chemical engineering and now has a small farm where he and his wife care for over one million honeybees.

“I want to thank you for the opportunity to address this critical need of the township,” Scharf said in his opening speech. “We have an opportunity and a responsibility to improve our situation. I applied to be the township supervisor because I believe that my life experience has prepared me well for this responsibility. Further, I believe that the past three elections have demonstrated that I have earned the trust and respect of our community.”

Scharf cited some reasons why he thinks he is qualified to take on the supervisor role. This includes having a strong public service orientation that’s demonstrated by the fact he has posted his cell phone number on the township webpage and tax bill that’s led to him taking many phone calls from township residents.  In addition to having a deep knowledge of the ins-and-outs of the township‘s finances, Scharf said he’s a more than willing learner who puts in the time and effort to do so. He said he also has experience in negotiating and having difficult conversations as demonstrated in his time working to figure out a new firefighter union contract.

Stevens, who has a professional background in Social Justice Advocacy, said he’s also a township farmer at his family farm, the Firesign Family Farm. He said he’s been a resident for nearly 40 years and has lived and breathed the township for much of his life. He said he hasn’t formally served on a township board or committee, but he has regularly attended and participated in different township meetings for the last three years to record them for his YouTube channel and made them available for the public to view.

“Now, with that said, I think you all probably know, and many people in the audience, that I am definitely a different kind of resident and potential leader,” Stevens said. “I do have an incredibly personal strength or personal run of independence, rural living and self-determination that people in a rural community kind of expect. I think I’ve shown to the board that I will speak up for residents, their rights, their land rights.”

Stevens said he’s also shown he can be very analytical in how township ordinances are written and understands them and what the board is trying to do. Saying the board needs to be responsive to its citizenry, Stevens said he would be somewhat different as a supervisor with his focus on engaging with the community to figure out what they need, not the direction that the board kind of feels things should go. Noting the dedication and passion he has for his farm, he said the reason he’s running for supervisor is that he believes his skills, education, personal ethics and principals could be of use to the board and township.

Questions and Answers

The Q and A session lasted around two hours during the special meeting with various topics covered, from time availability, leadership style to knowledge of the Open Meetings Act. One question that stood out was asking each candidate what they thought were the most significant challenges and opportunities facing the township and if they were appointed what would be their first priority.

Goodman said one of the biggest challenges facing the township right now is getting the community back on board and getting to feel good about what’s happening at township hall. Another challenge and priority, he said, is making sure the roads get fixed. Other areas he cited include getting better cell phone and internet coverage in areas of need in the township and maintaining professional public safety services.

Stevens said the township has a trust issue with the community that was caused in part by bad communication. Citing getting back the trust of the community will need to be done by everyone on the board and building back the integrity within the eyes of the residents is one of the biggest challenges and priorities. Stevens said right now the township is without a supervisor, planner, and zoning administrator, so getting township hall back to a new norm will be a priority. He said if selected he would look to be that equalizing force to have those conversations with everybody, see where everyone’s heads are at and find similarities in a direction for the township and come together to meet the needs of the residents.

Scharf said the township is facing some challenges, ranging from urgent matters to lesser important things. He said not having a zoning administrator or planner is both an urgent and important matter facing the township that needs to be fixed. He said another challenge facing the township is that it has spent more money than it has brought in, so a priority needs to be balancing the budget. Other issues he cited includes the fire department and the differences in opinion in how it’s paid for among the three participating communities to morale inside township hall and the encroachment of development from the more urban areas around the township.

Next Steps

The selection decision is now in the hands of the township board. Per Michigan law, the resignation of a township supervisor leads to an appointment process within 45 days after the resignation. The township board now has time to think about the person they will select.

A Special Board Meeting is set for 7 p.m. on July 14, when the Public Appointment of a Township Supervisor will be made by a vote of the board members.

Photo 1: Supervisor candidates (from l-r) John Scharf, George Goodman and Peter Stevens talk before the special meeting on June 30. Photo by Lonnie Huhman