Township election a landslide

Winning Grins. (From left) Mark Clinton, Jerry Vorva, Gary Heitman, Bob Doroshewitz, Kurt Heise, Chuck Curmi and Jack Dempsey celebrate Tuesday night.

Aug. 3, 2016  PLYMOUTH VOICE.

Plymouth Michigan News

Last Tuesday’s election was the culmination of the most contentious and expensive campaigns known to Plymouth Township. Candidates Kurt Heise, Jerry Vorva and Mark Clinton swept clean all executive positions of the Board of Trustees handily winning over their opponents to take the Supervisor, Clerk and Treasurer positions respectively. Scores of resident volunteers, citizens’ groups and activists worked tirelessly for months alongside the candidates to push for big changes in the township administration.

One third, or 7,519 of the of the township’s 22,500 registered voters, cinched the election for the three winners, all first-time candidates, ousting long-time Treasurer Ron Edwards, Clerk Nancy Conzelman and newly-appointed Shannon Price. Price who reportedly spent an estimated $150,000 on his campaign, was defeated by write-in candidate State Rep. Kurt Heise who was forced off the ballot when Price’s campaign manager facilitated a lawsuit against him. The conduct of Edwards, a political firebrand, was a main campaign issue after he severed all working relationships with the City of Plymouth over issues of recreation and fire department legacy costs while on a spending rampage inside the township’s public park.

Newcomers Jack Dempsey and Gary Heitman will fill two of the open trustee positions. Trustee Mike Kelly finished in fifth place. Trustee Steve Mann did not run in the election.

Plymouth Voice.