Of all the candidates running for township board, I feel Ron Sliwinski would be the greatest asset to the township as a member of the township board. He works VERY hard to learn about issues and communicate that knowledge to concerned citizens; he does his homework. He has been doing this as a private citizen for a number of years already. Why? Because he wants everyone to understand all aspects of an issue as they are being discussed. If he does this on his own time as a private citizen to keep people informed, how great it would be to have that kind of individual on the township board? Also, he is raising his family in our community, works in our community and has been invested in this community for a number of years. With small children, he will want to make Orion the kind of place that continues to be strong and community-oriented for the future.
As for Township Clerk, my vote goes to Penny Shults. She has done an outstanding job as our Clerk and is being endorsed by longtime Township Clerk, Marie English. Penny is honest, hard-working and is in this position for no other reason than to serve her community. Also, if you have time, watch the Clerk portion of the candidate forum broadcast on ONTV. It is clear that Penny’s opponent does not have a complete understanding of what the Clerk’s job is and doesn’t know the associated state statutes that govern what that office can and cannot do. That gives me pause.
Finally, and this should come as no surprise, I believe it is imperative that this community pass the school district Sinking Fund. The school assets are the assets of the entire community. They are not just used by students for learning, but much of the community utilizes these buildings for a number of activities- including voting! The State has strict oversight as to the spending of these dollars and the district had to submit very specific information to the state regarding what the monies would be used for. There is no government entity in the state that is as highly scrutinized regarding spending as school districts are.
I hope when you vote on August 2nd, you will seriously consider Ron for Township Trustee, Penny Shults for Clerk and a YES vote for the school district sinking fund.
Mary Jo Burchart
Orion resident & former school board president