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Politics hit home for Middlebury couple
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Thursday, July 3, 2008 10:39 AM EDT
Argus-Press Photo by Anthony Cepak Republican Paul W. Dutton and his wife, Democrat Erin K. Dutton, are both seeking election as Middlebury Township trustees. The couple said their party affiliations doesn’t affect their marriage.
MIDDLEBURY TWP. - When voters go to the polls in August and again in November, they might notice a similarity on the ballot for township trustee.
There are two Duttons running for the position who share the same last name, the same age, 65, and the same address - but not the same party affiliation.
Incumbent Paul Dutton, a Republican, and his wife Erin Dutton, a Democrat, are both running for trustee spots in the upcoming primary election.
The couple, who have been married for more than 30 years, met as seniors at Durand High School. They dated, but it didn't amount to anything.
“We got back together at our 15-year reunion,” Erin Dutton said. “Five months later, we were married.”
Two more Republicans, Gene Ruess and Audrey Sovis, are also on the ballot. Ruess, Sovis and Paul Dutton will compete in the Aug. 5 primary. Two of them will go through to the general election in November. The winners of the August primary - along with Erin Dutton - will then vie for two trustee spots.
Both Paul and Erin Dutton could potentially be elected. The couple would like to see that happen, but said that was not the original plan.
Paul Dutton, an incumbent, originally thought about running for supervisor, but decided he wouldn't have the time to dedicate to the position and run the family home furnishings business, Dutton Family Sales. When they made the trip to file Paul's papers, they were told by the clerk that no one else was running.
“We were driving back home,” Erin Dutton said, “and I said to Paul, ‘I might as well get involved.'”
So Paul turned the car around and the two filed Erin's papers to run as a Democrat.
Both insist that separate party affiliations has not harmed their marriage.
“He's a liberal Republican and I'm a conservative Democrat,” Erin Dutton said. “We disagree, but we're pretty close on most issues.”
If they are both elected, they also say it won't affect their judgment on issues concerning the township.
“You can't let your personal life take control of your duty as an elected official, or it is time to resign,” Paul Dutton said. “As soon as those meetings are over, we'll go right to coffee and cake.”
Erin Dutton agreed and expanded on the idea.
“If it is something the township needs,” she said, “even if it hurts you, like taxes, you have to put it on the ballot because you have to do what is best for the township.”
The pair has also talked about what will happen if only one of them is elected as a trustee.
“(If she's elected) then I'll have more time to devote to the business,” Paul Dutton said. “And there will be at least one positive voice on the board.”
If neither is elected, which is another possibility, they said they would focus on their business and become involved in other ways.
“We may look for something on the county level,” Erin Dutton said. “But we'll find a way to get involved.”
- Contact Nathan Bruttell at 725-5136 extension 231 or nbruttell@arguspressgmail.com.
