By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
An Orion Township mother and business professional is looking to bring change to the township board by seeking election to the clerk’s office.
Life-long Orion resident Jen Zielinski hopes to fulfill a civic duty she feels overwhelmed to pursue as she hopes to serve the community she feels so passionate about.
She will face incumbent Penny Shults in the August primary.
Her family moved to Orion in 1987. She graduated from Lake Orion High School in 1996. Her husband of 11 years, Rob, also graduated from Lake Orion. They have three children and live in the Keatington Subdivision.
“I was raised in this great community and my husband and I are raising our kids here and it’s time for me to step up and give back to this amazing community,” she said. “I want my kids to be involved and I want them to see how my involvement can make a difference.”
Zielinski, who earned her degree from Oakland Community College while working full-time, has almost 20 years of corporate experience. She has worked for Volkswagen Credit for 13 of those years. She believes she has the skills needed to fulfill the clerk’s roles as she has managerial and organizational experience and wants to bring innovation and new efficiencies to the clerk’s office.
Her roles at Volkswagen have ranged from managing customer and vendor relationships, accounts payable, title distribution, and creating and managing reports. Zielinski also said she’s assigned to an international IT project that is scheduled to launch this summer. The world of increased technology is where she hopes to take the clerk’s office.
If elected, she hopes to make online and mobile accessibility easier for items that involve the clerk. She said she wants to further utilize the township app and provide more links for applications and documents.
“I’d like to investigate more information we can put on Orion Township’s website that can be interactive for the residents that might save them a trip to the clerk’s office,” she said. “I also don’t want to exclude anyone that doesn’t use the internet in their everyday affairs. So, as usual, everything would be available at the clerk’s office in person.”
Zielinski, who’s involved in school organizations and the Keatington neighborhood association, said she realizes the dual roles of the township clerk. She understands that not only do you have the duties of clerk but also the clerk is a voting member of the township board.
She hopes to work as a team with the members of the board to plan for the future of the community and manage the growth Orion is seeing.
“The township and the residents are best served when new development fits in with the master plan and the surrounding area,” she said. “I would work to preserve the existing neighborhoods and commercial properties from over-development. I think that’s a very hot topic right now.”
Ultimately, Zielinski said she wants what everybody wants in a community. She wants a strong businesses environment in a safe community with protected neighborhoods and parks. She wants not only her family but every resident’s family and visitors to enjoy the very thing that has captivated her to continue calling Orion Township her home.
“I love the activities, I love taking my kids downtown and going to the events where I can involve my family and that is a key element for me,” she said. “My kids and their experience in this town is important to me and I want them to love it as much as I do.”
“I think the community involvement and the activities that we see in this township are unrivaled to what you’ll see in any other city, township or municipality. It’s amazing.”
Jen Zielinski will be having a fundraiser at the Clansman Pub on Thursday May 12 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Her campaign Facebook page can be found by searching Jen Zielinski for Orion Township Clerk and her website is votejenzielinski.com.