Two write-in candidates to run against former Delta Township Supervisor
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — Two write-in candidates have filed to run against former Delta Township Supervisor Kenneth Fletcher, who was arrested and charged for allegedly attempting to meet a 15-year-old boy for sex.
Richard Ott and Saturn Wells, both unaffiliated candidates, are now officially running for Delta Township Supervisor, according to the Eaton County Clerk.
Fletcher, a Democrat, was previously running unopposed for re-election, though he resigned from his position on Sept. 3, the day before he was charged with two felonies.
He remains on the ballot due to state election law, Eaton County Clerk Diana Bosworth tells 6 News.
"Per State Bureau of Elections guidance, the candidate will remain on the ballot. If elected and the candidate chooses not to accept the position, a vacancy will be declared and an appointment can occur," Bosworth wrote in an email to 6 News in September. "Statute MCL 168.362 appears to say the candidate has until Jan. 1st to take his oath before a vacancy can be declared."
According to court documents obtained by 6 News, Fletcher was arrested in relation to an undercover sting operation conducted by the Eaton County Sheriff's Department on the app Grindr. The detective began a conversation with Fletcher—who was using an explicit user name— and identified herself as a 15-year-old boy before the conversation transitioned to text messages.
Court documents state that "the male subject continued to send enticing messages and expressed they would be willing to meet with the '15-year-old boy' at the Lansing Mall for the purposes of 'just talking.'"
Detectives linked the phone number to Fletcher, which is the same number he would use in his official capacity, such as in his email signatures.
On Aug. 21, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant on Fletcher's home in Lansing, where Fletcher admitted to detectives that he had been using Grinder and messaging what he believed to be a 15-year-old boy.
He was arrested and charged with one count of accosting a child for immoral purposes and one count of using a computer to commit a crime. If convicted on both charges he could face up to 14 years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.
Fletcher is a Democrat who was elected as Supervisor in 2008 and has been re-elected every four years since.
It remains unclear if Fletcher will campaign for re-election or if he will accept the post if he's elected on Nov. 5. Mike Nichols, one of his attorneys, told 6 News by text in September it's not an issue that's been discussed between the attorneys and Fletcher.
As for the write-in candidates, they face certain disadvantages when it comes to their campaign efforts.
"The write-in candidate will get 5% of the vote if they work really hard, maybe 7, maybe 10 — If they work really hard," Mark Grebner, a longtime political consultant and Ingham County Commissioner told 6 News in April.
Additionally, making sure that all votes for them are tallied is a separate struggle.
In a video Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum created a month ago and posted to YouTube she explained the importance of writing in a candidate's name.
"The voter must spell the person's name in such a way that it can be recognizable as a vote for that candidate and clear to a team of precinct workers made up of one Democrat and one Republican," she said in the YouTube video.
In addition to these hurdles and hoops, a candidate is likely to face a significant obstacle in getting their name out and known, which will cost a significant amount of money.
The deadline for other write-in candidates to potentially file is Oct. 25.
