KEENE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – There will likely be two new board members after Keene Township’s special election regarding the fate of its present township supervisor and treasurer.  

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Previously, Robert Simpson and Kara Albert served on the board as the Township Supervisor and Treasurer, respectively, but have been voted off the council by a narrow margin.  

According to preliminary results posted on the county’s page, Albert lost to Taylor Lewis, 302 votes to 304 votes, while Simpson lost to Bob Schafer, 302 votes to 316 votes. 

Ahead of the second recall effort and subsequent vote, Simpson and Albert responded to questions regarding what they hoped to convey to the township from their perspective. 

“As I stated earlier, Keene Township has a process we follow to enact or amend our zoning ordinances,” they said in an email to Michigan News Source. “Let the process play out instead of trying to short circuit it. Get involved and participate in our community not just when it is a hot topic. We make better decisions if we work together not tearing apart the people in the community.” 

Fellow Board Member and Trustee, Brett Hulliberger, also asked the townspeople to cease the recall in a previous township meeting. 

“There are fresh perspectives on the board that I think we need to discover, a renewed sense of community and clarity and work together as a community and a team which starts with dropping the recall.  We need to regroup and get back to business,” Hulliberger said. 

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While there was a temporary period in which members of Keene contemplated also recalling Township Board Trustee and member of the Joint Planning Commission, Corey Wojcik, they opted not to, revealing why in a letter to him. 

“Protect Keene residents feel that they can trust you to continue your due diligence in protecting the health, safety and wellbeing of the citizens of Keene Township, most notably with an Industrial Wind and Solar Ordinance,” the letter said.

Both of the newly elected members of the board are freshman when it comes to public office, but have high hopes for the future. 

“I was fortunate to attend Michigan State University, where I studied business,” Lewis said in an email to Michigan News Source. “I currently have a full time job on a very highly collaborative team that trains new employees. The combination of my education and career path has given me well-rounded experience in technology, finance, and most importantly, people. Although I haven’t run for office, I feel prepared to take on this new position.” 

Schafer also expressed his hopes that the township would find this “refreshing” and that his other previous experiences have been good preparation for this new role. 

“I have experience writing legislation and was part of a group that successfully worked several adoption-related bills through the legislative process to become Michigan laws,” Schafer said in an email to Michigan News Source. “This process involved a great deal of collaboration and solution-finding efforts while working with groups of people having quite different visions.” 

“Will Taylor and I have to learn some new things?  Of course we will, but that is a rite of passage for every township official,” he added. 

According to the Ionia County Clerk, Greg Geiger, there will be a public meeting hosted by the Ionia County Board of Canvassers to canvass the results of the May 2, 2023 Special Election at 9 am on May 4.  The meeting will be held at the Ionia County Courthouse.