For 20 years, Pat Fitchena served as Oxford Township trustee. Many things changed since the time she began. The Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union are gone, DVDs have replaced VHS cassettes and the Detroit Tigers play in Comerica Park instead of Tiger Stadium.
Now, as she returns to private life, she reflects on what’s taken place over the years.
‘We’ve seen this community grow into a beautiful area that people are clamoring to come to,? said Fitchena, who also has served for 27 years on the planning commission. ‘That’s partly due to the planning commission. As a township board member, I think we were fiscally responsible. Taxes were not raised in Oxford in the 12 years, unless it was done by a voted-in millage. I think we were accountable for the dollars. Every audit we had has had glowing reports about the township.?
Fitchena says she plans to continue her volunteer work and work with senior citizens and children in the area. She jokingly added: ‘My husband is very happy that I lost this election. He says maybe he can have his wife back.?
Joking aside, the trustee wasn’t very happy with how things ended.
‘When you have a total of one year of bad publicity on the front page of the Oxford Leader, I think that contributed a lot to the situation,? she said.
Like Fitchena, fellow incumbent Charles Kniffen is disappointed he didn’t win reelection.
‘I was hoping for better. Everybody hopes that,? he said. ‘I can be proud of 8 years I served. I’ve done a lot of good things for the township.?
Kniffen said he will try to stay in township politics but is uncertain, at 72, if he will run again.
‘It’s pretty hard to be a trustee and work for a living,? he said. ‘If you want to do a good job, you have to do research before the meeting and then do follow-up.?
Kniffen estimated that for every hour put in for a meeting, about three to four hours go into preparing for the meeting.?
A few of the things Kniffen feels satisfied with during his tenure is the increase of the collection of hazardous materials and not only building two fire stations within budget, but building the township hall under budget. ‘In government, both of these things are unheard of,? he said.
Kniffen finished in the race behind Fitchena, who ended the August 5 primary with 671 votes. She finished fifth in a four-seat race. The fourth-place finisher, Melvin Cryderman, received 735 votes?64 votes more than Fitchena.
Cryderman, serving his first term as a trustee in the township and the first time in elected office, said he was surprised by the election results and feels that his proactive approach made the difference. He spent a lot of his time going to thousands of homes and having representatives at all the polls to remind voters to choose him.
Cryderman sees his approach as trustee as one that will keep him busy. Among his goals are to make the local government more responsive to citizens, to try to control some of the legal fees and come up with solutions to water bond payments, the enforcement of zoning ordinances, the proper oversight of township services, attorney fees and building department operations and making sure that developers are following approved site plans.
‘I want to make sure the township is always working together,? he said.
The race’s top vote getter, Michael Spisz, was the only candidate to get more than a thousand votes; he earned 1,020. Because he was running in a nine-person field against some people who were well known in the community, Spisz said he was surprised by the results.
‘You never know how it’s going to happen,? he said. ‘Everyday, I didn’t know if I was doing well or poorly.?