PM Township board to consider trustee appointees.

PM Township board to consider trustee appointees.

PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — The Pere Marquette Charter Township Board of Trustees is expected to interview trustee candidates when it meets on Wednesday, July 15. As of Monday morning, four township residents had sent letters of interest in the position to replace Paul Piper who resigned. Piper is expected to be sentenced in federal court over embezzlement and tax charges stemming from when he worked as financial controller for Lake Michigan Carferry (see related story here). 

Paul Keson (former supervisor), Al DeMeester, Ron Soberalski, and Megan Tresnak have each expressed interest in serving on the township board. The appointment is only temporary, as the term expires on Nov. 20, 2020. 

All four township trustee seats are up for election this year. To date, four people have expressed interest in running for election, including incumbents Andrew Kmetz, James Nordlund, Sr., and Henry Rasmussen. Soberalski is also running for election. 

According to Township Clerk Rachelle Enbody, Kmetz, Nordlund and Rasmussen have filed as Republicans and will be on the Primary Election ballot on Aug. 4. Soberalski has filed as a Democrat. Once nominated, those four will be on the Nov. 3 General Election ballot. The top four vote-winners will become trustees and serve a four-year term. 

Enbody said the filing deadline to be on the Primary Election has passed. But, anyone wishing to run as a non-partisan candidate for the November election has until Wednesday, July 16, 2020 at 4 p.m. to file a qualifying petition. Partisan candidates still have the option to run as a write-in candidate. They have until July 24, 2020 at 4 p.m. to file as a write-in candidate for the Primary Election or Oct. 23, 2020 by 4 p.m. for the General Election. 

Any qualified voter of PM Township who wishes to be appointed to the term ending on Nov. 20 may still send in a letter of inquiry by 5 p.m. today. 

The meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the basement of the township hall, 1699 S. Pere Marquette Highway. Members of the public who wish to teleconference the meeting may do so by calling 1-701-802-5472, access code: 1372354.