Rural issues big as voters shake things up in Webster Township election

— The make-up of the governing body in Webster Township, a historically rural community near Dexter, will see some changes as a result of the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election.

A question mark remains around who will serve as the township's clerk, after the winner's resignation earlier this year. Some candidates who campaigned on protecting the township's rural character and property owners' rights, which have been hot topics, also unseated incumbents.

Township voters also installed a Democrat as supervisor, as a Republican incumbent lost his bid for re-election. A seat on the township's Board of Trustees also went to a Democrat, as votes to re-elect a longtime Republican trustee fell shy.

Barbara Calleja, a Democrat, declined to comment Wednesday, Nov. 6, whether she will step back into the role of clerk.

At the end of May, Calleja resigned as the township's clerk to take a job as neighboring Scio Township's deputy clerk. She had filed as a Democrat to run for re-election before finding out she got the new job, and then the deadline to withdraw from the ballot had already passed.

Webster Township's board voted unanimously to appoint Tonie Brovont as clerk through the November election. Brovont had been serving at the township's deputy treasurer. She filed to run for clerk as a candidate with no political party affiliation.

Read more: Clerk who resigned still on the November election ballot in Webster Township

Calleja, however, ended up winning the general election with more than 69.9% of votes, defeating Brovont. Vote counts were 2,427 for Calleja and 1,022 for Brovont, according to unofficial election results.

She can accept or decline the position, and the Webster Township board could make an appointment.

Read more: Results for the Tuesday, Nov. 5 general election in Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County

The township will have a new supervisor, after longtime incumbent John Kingsley lost his bid for re-election.

L. Michael DeAngelo, a retired attorney and farmer, ran as a Democrat against Kingsley and won, with more than 56.3% of votes. The vote count was 2,494 for DeAngelo and 2,148 for Kingsley.

DeAngelo did not immediately respond to a message seeking his reaction to his victory.

Issues he campaigned on include protecting the community's rural character and residents' property rights, and promoting transparency — which are all issues that have spurred discussions during township meetings — according to answers he gave on a candidate questionnaire for the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund's Vote411.org voter guide .

"As both a landowner and a hay farmer with farm animals, I have a strong commitment to ensuring that Webster remains a unique place where families can enjoy its rural nature, natural beauty, and open space," he said in an answer, and his goals include updating "confusing, impractical, or outdated portions of the Township's ordinances."

"Challenges currently facing the township," he said in an answer, "include animosity between the board and some Webster residents, maintaining the township's rural character in light of outside development pressures and inadequate infrastructure, and providing timely, accessible, accurate, and transparent information about township expenditures and the reasons behind the decisions to spend tax dollars."

Kingsley said he's "glad to be able to retire" after serving the township since he started as a planning commissioner in 1993.

Kingsley became the township's supervisor through appointment in 2006 after serving as a township trustee. He won re-election in 2008 and every four years since.

"The race was what it was. It was a clean race," he said, also saying he is "privileged" to have been able to serve the township for so many years.

"The new supervisor, I'm sure, will do a great job," he said.

Incumbent township Treasurer John Scharf won his bid for re-election, defeating challenger Catherine Boudreaux with more than 52,7% of votes. Scharf and Boudreaux both ran with no party affiliation. Scharf ran as a Republican in the 2020 election and has also served as a former township trustee. Vote counts were 1,334 for Scharf and 1,178 for Boudreaux.

The make-up on the township Board of Trustees changed a bit, with incumbent John Westman, a Republican, losing his bid for re-election. Nine people ran in the general election for the four trustee seats.

Incumbent trustees who won re-election include Democrats Jeff Harms, Dan Munzel and Shelly Vrsek. Former trustee Brant Savander, a Democrat, also won a seat.

Savander also campaigned on maintaining rural character, also mentioning a proposed zoning change to allow more residents to keep farm animals , in his answers for the voter guide.

"Two of the most common comments made by residents is to maintain the country character and keep improving the roads," he said in an answer.

"The country character is best maintained via three township management mechanisms, which includes Farmland and Open Space Preservation (Proposal B), balanced zoning planning, and a zoning ordinance that balances property owner rights with adjacent landowner rights and interests."

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