By Crystal Hayduk
There are six candidates on the ballot running for seats on the Lima Township Board in the Aug. 6 primary. Because they are all members of the Republican party, the results of the primary will stand come November.
Incumbents seeking reelection include Supervisor Duane Luick, Treasurer Nanette Havens, and Trustees Dale Luick and Greg McKenzie.
William Van Riper is challenging Duane Luick, and Phillip Kwaske is opposing Havens. The two trustees are running unopposed.
Township terms last four years.
Chelsea Update asked the candidates to answer questions about key issues and to provide background information. In alphabetical order organized by office, candidate responses are below.
Duane Luick (R) – Incumbent running for Lima Township Supervisor
Q: What is your occupation?
A: Builder/Farming/Present Township Supervisor
Q: How long have you lived in your township?
A: My entire life, 67 years.
Q: Do you have any previous elected or appointed experience to a township commission? If yes, please explain how it has prepared you for service to your township.
A: Yes, Township Trustee from 2016-2020 and Township Supervisor from 2020-present. It has given me insight on how the meetings are run and the process of the township board.
Q: Do you have any current public and/or community service experience? If so, please explain what that is and how it would assist you in representing all your township’s residents.
A: Being Township Trustee and Supervisor has allowed me to listen and serve my residents.
Q: Please briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign. (Why are you running for township office?)
A: 1. The renovation of existing township hall. It has been used by the township since the 1950s and hardly anything done for improvements. I have been working on the planning of the project for the last 3 years to add offices and restore the building to its original characteristics with updated new technology.
- The township has a big savings of renovating the townhall as opposed to building a new hall which allows the township to not having to borrow money. From this savings, I will be concentrating on further improvements to roads and bridges.
Q: Please summarize in a sentence or two how you plan to address the two issues listed above.
A: 1. The township hall final site plan has been approved and I will follow through with going forward with the construction of the building.
- From my experience, I have many good contacts with the Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) and county commissioners, allowing me to work together to make needed improvements on roads and bridges.
Q: In a sentence or two please explain to voters why you are the best candidate for the position.
A: I really care about the well-being of our township and preserving the agricultural land and limiting high density subdivisions.
Q: What are your top priorities as an elected official?
A: Work to preserve private agriculture as well as working with the WCRC on road projects and bridge repair.
Q: Is there anything you would like to see changed in your township? If so, explain how you would go about initiating those changes.
A: I would like to stop encroaching municipalities to take any more of our existing borders. I will negotiate with those municipalities to prevent urban sprawl on our agricultural land.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add about your candidacy?
A: I lived here my entire life growing up in a farm family. I would like Lima Township to remain in a rural atmosphere.
William Van Riper (R) – Running for Lima Township Supervisor
Q: What is your occupation?
A: Self-employed farmer
Q: How long have you lived in your township?
A: 64 years
Q: Do you have any previous elected or appointed experience to a township commission? If yes, please explain how it has prepared you for service to your township.
(No response)
Q: Do you have any current public and/or community service experience? If so, please explain what that is and how it would assist you in representing all your township’s residents.
A: Washtenaw County soil conservation board, 12 years. Active Farm Bureau member for 35 years. Active Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) for 35 years. Board member for eight years. Huron River watershed board. Help with the development of the Mill Creek watershed board for four years. Attend Zion Lutheran Church, served on the church council for four years. Volunteer at local community fairs: Chelsea, Manchester, Saline, and volunteered at project RED (Washtenaw County Rural Education Days.
Q: Please briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign. (Why are you running for township office?)
A: 1. Updating the technology of the Township meetings and keeping the residence of Lima Township up-to-date about what’s going on.
- Offer the option of being able to pay bills, permits, taxes, etc. electronically.
Q: Please summarize in a sentence or two how you plan to address the two issues listed above.
A: 1. By bringing in livestreaming of the township board meetings, which can be done at a minimal cost.
- There are already programs available through the county to pay bills electronically, that our current Township board has chosen not to implement.
Q: In a sentence or two please explain to voters why you are the best candidate for the position.
A: I have already been in contact with over 1,400 residences of the township and learning there is a lack of communication and dissatisfaction with the current township board. I will change that.
Q: What are your top priorities as an elected official?
A: Addressing the current issue with the township hall. Maintaining the existing townhall, that has not been done in decades. Putting construction of addition to the existing townhall on hold until better economic times. Using those funds to improve the infrastructure of the township, which has also not been done. This is the feedback I’m getting from a majority of the township residents.
I plan to represent the residents of Lima Township at as many municipal, county, state and local meetings that would impact Lima township.
Q: Is there anything you would like to see changed in your township? If so, explain how you would go about initiating those changes.
A: Sometimes change is not what the people want. I would like to preserve what the township residents came to Lima for—the rural and openness of the township.
I will follow through with what the former supervisor Craig Maier initiated, fiber optics, internet, and communication with upgrading technology.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add about your candidacy?
A: I have been a partner at Dottie-o-Dairy Ranch since 1982. I have been a partner with Van Riper Ag products since 1996. I am a proud, proud father of three daughters and eight grandchildren. I want to preserve this township for them.
When my father was Lima Township Supervisor back in the 90s, I attended supervisor management classes at LCC with him. I feel this will help me in my leadership as supervisor of Lima Township.
Nanette Havens (R) – Incumbent running for Lima Township Treasurer
Havens did not respond to Chelsea Update’s inquiry.
Phillip Kwaske (R) – Running for Lima Township Treasurer
Q: What is your occupation?
A: Retired manufacturing engineer
Q: How long have you lived in your township?
A: My family has been in Lima Township for 5 years. Before that, I lived in Freedom Township for 15 years.
Q: Do you have any previous elected or appointed experience to a township commission? If yes, please explain how it has prepared you for service to your township.
A: After over 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, I retired in 2022 with a plan to become involved in my community. I don’t yet have experience working for a township, as this is my first opportunity to run for office since retiring.
Q: Do you have any current public and/or community service experience? If so, please explain what that is and how it would assist you in representing all your township’s residents.
A: I have done small community service projects, but the majority of my experience has been in business and industry. The business skills of team building, budget management, and planning will translate well into the skills necessary as treasurer for the township.
Q: Please briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign. (Why are you running for township office?)
A: 1. Bring technology to the township and leverage it to improve efficiency.
- Long-term financial planning.
Q: Please summarize in a sentence or two how you plan to address the two issues listed above.
A: 1. Our township is very out of date. We need to make use of technology to keep residents informed and improve office efficiency. This includes allowing payment by ACH / eCheck or credit card for taxes and permits, livestreaming of board meetings, screens at public meetings, and a digital sign with township news.
- Lima Township has a surplus of funds with no plans on spending them. We need a 5-year or 10-year plan on how the funds will be used now and in the future for municipal services to benefit our residents. To do this, we need to get resident feedback and not just make assumptions about what people want.
Q: In a sentence or two please explain to voters why you are the best candidate for the position.
A: I bring a fresh perspective to the office, based on my years of work in industry which included managing multi-million dollar launches and keeping them in budget. I am able to foster a collaborative environment which is much needed in our township now. My problem-solving skills and my ability to bring efficiencies to any process make me the best candidate for treasurer.
Q: What are your top priorities as an elected official?
A: My top priorities include availability and transparency. Township offices are only open 9 hours a week, and yet the current supervisor and treasurer are not often present during those hours. I would petition to increase our office hours to include at least one afternoon, and request a policy that board supervisor, treasurer, and clerk be in the office during those hours so they are available to our residents. Additionally, financial statements should be readily available on the website for transparency. The residents should know how their tax dollars are being spent.
Q: Is there anything you would like to see changed in your township? If so, explain how you would go about initiating those changes.
A: Anyone who has attended a board meeting lately can sense the tension. It is a very confrontational environment and that has kept the township board stalled for years, unable to accomplish anything due to a lack of preparing and collaborating. I’ve seen several instances of the board tabling an item, only to come back the next month with nothing being accomplished. Tabled items should be assigned to a person who takes ownership, otherwise nothing is accomplished. Then members blame others for nothing getting done. The board needs to be prepared before meetings, be willing to share the load, and to collaborate to make progress.
We also need to accept that the township is growing. I am all for keeping Lima a rural and agricultural township, but we need to realize that the nature of that may be changing. Agricultural may not always mean the large farms we have historically had, and some of that may be transitioning to smaller homestead farming and hobby farming. With an aging population, we need a community that is also welcoming to younger families.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add about your candidacy?
A: I am excited about the opportunities to work with the rest of the board to bring Lima Township up to speed and move the township forward.
Dale Luick (R) – Incumbent running for Lima Township Board of Trustees
Dale Luick did not respond to Chelsea Update’s inquiry.
Greg McKenzie (R) – Incumbent running for Lima Township Board of Trustees
McKenzie did not submit a photo.
Q: What is your occupation?
A: Retired architect and part-time goat herder
Q: How long have you lived in your township?
A: 39 years
Q: Do you have any previous elected or appointed experience to a township commission? If yes, please explain how it has prepared you for service to your township.
A: I have been a Lima Township Trustee for more than 20 years. I was first appointed to the township planning commission 35 years ago and Zoning Board of Appeals. Subsequently I was appointed as a local government representative to the Michigan Agricultural Tourism Advisory Commission, township representative to Chelsea Area Construction Agency, and served as the Lima Township representative to the CAFA Fire Chief search committee. I am currently the township representative on the WAVE Board of Directors.
Q: Do you have any current public and/or community service experience? If so, please explain what that is and how it would assist you in representing all your township’s residents.
A: As shown in the previous response, I have been continuously involved with serving the township for over 35 years in many different capacities. I have also been involved with Chelsea Community Fair as a department superintendent and as a 4-H parent leader.
Q: Please briefly identify the top two issues of your campaign. (Why are you running for township office?)
A: 1. To continue to serve all the residents and staff of the township in a positive and professional manner.
- To work for the most reasonable and best solution for the Township Hall project as it is by far the largest single decision and expense we have had in my time working for the township.
Q: Please summarize in a sentence or two how you plan to address the two issues listed above.
A: 1. To listen to all points of view and input from residents and staff to help make the most reasonable decisions.
- Continue to work toward the best solution we can by listening to our design professionals’ input as well as all staff and elected officials’ concerns both for design and cost control as we go forward.
Q: In a sentence or two please explain to voters why you are the best candidate for the position.
A: I continue to try to bring a logical professional approach to the township board as we make decisions for the residents.
Q: What are your top priorities as an elected official?
A: Make sure we have a sound budget concept for our major projects such as the Township Hall work and road issues as well as a discussion and direction as to what to do with the N Lima Center multi-acre site the township purchased and has invested approximately $500,000 in that is not now slated as the [Township] Hall site.
Q: Is there anything you would like to see changed in your township? If so, explain how you would go about initiating those changes.
A: Some of the Board decision making process is not as open and inclusive of all points of view as it should be, in my opinion, and I will continue to work to keep those options open.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add about your candidacy?
(No response)
