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3 vie for trustee spots in Middlebury Twp.
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Thursday, July 3, 2008 10:39 AM EDT
MIDDLEBURY TWP. - Three Republicans will face off in the Aug. 5 primary for two trustee spots in the November election.
Paul Dutton, Gene Ruess and Audrey Sovis are the candidates.
Paul Dutton is an incumbent and has served on the board for eight years. The other trustee, Charles Simpson, is not running for re-election.
The 65-year-old owns Dutton Family Sales, a home furnishing business in Ovid. His wife is Erin Dutton, who in addition to co-owning the business, is also running for the trustee position on the Democratic ticket. She will face the winners of the August primary in November.
Paul Dutton has lived in Middlebury Township for 35 years and thinks he is a capable candidate for the position.
“I have integrity, the ability to make sound decisions and follow up on details,” he said.
There are two issues he would like to see handled by the township board in the next few years. Road funding is one of the biggest issues facing the township, he said.
The question it raises is “how to continue to fund services in an era of declining revenue, coupled with increased costs,” Dutton said.
The former member of the Shiawassee Planning Commission said one of the most important qualities a trustee can have is to keep an open mind.
“You have to be willing to listen to all sides of an issue,” he said.
Fellow Republican and opponent Gene Ruess agreed.
“You have to be able to speak your opinion,” Ruess said. “Not just go with the flow as a member. You have to be able to listen to the other side also.”
Ruess said one of the main reasons he is running is because he would like to see younger people fulfill their duties in the township.
“It's time for my generation to step up,” the 41-year-old said. “That's what I plan to do.”
The line worker and master electrician for Consumers Energy said he is an ideal candidate because he is honest and has morals he stands by. He said he wants to apply that honesty and integrity on the board.
“I'd rather somebody tell me what I don't want to hear as long as they're honest,” Ruess said.
Ruess said one thing he would like to see as a member of the board is better communication through technology.
“We need to get a good Web site going and establish communication,” he said. “If you get more up-to-date with the technology, you get more involvement from the crowd.”
The third candidate, Audrey Sovis, said that was also an issue she would like to see looked at by the board.
“I would like to see our township brought up-to-date,” Sovis said. “We currently don't utilize technology the way that we could.”
Sovis served as the township clerk for four years. She said her experience as a clerk will give her insight into decisions she would have to make as a trustee.
“I think it's important as a trustee to know how the numbers are supposed to go together,” Sovis said.
Knowledge of record-keeping and the system means she could “identify the mistakes or anything that's glaring.”
The 44-year-old said she also does the record-keeping and hard labor for the Sovis Dairy Farm. She said she would like to bridge the gap between the residents of the township and the members of the board.
“I think there are people that move from another city and don't even realize that there is a local governing body in the area,” Sovis said.
- Contact Nathan Bruttell at 725-5136 extension 231 or nbruttellarguspress@gmail.com.
