Traverse City Record-Eagle

Elmwood Township

May 4, 2008

Newcomer fills vacated board seat

BY MELISSA DOMSIC

GREILICKVILLE -- A new guy in town took the reins from a longtime Elmwood Township official on the board of trustees.

Elmwood Township's board on Thursday appointed Kyle Trevas to the seat formerly held by Jim O'Rourke, who resigned last month after several years as a trustee.

Trevas, 27, moved to the township last year and opened a law office in Traverse City. Originally from downstate, he graduated from law school in Lansing and wanted to move to the area and begin his career.

"I'd like to see the township come together," Trevas said. "It started to kind of develop a reputation as a problem political arena, and I'd like to turn it from that."

Trevas and all other board members' terms are up in the election this November.

O'Rourke resigned because his new position with the Transportation Security Administration at Cherry Capital Airport does not allow him to hold political office.

Eight people applied for the position, and the board held a special meeting to interview candidates. Township Supervisor Derith Smith was the lone vote against Trevas' appointment.

Smith said she'd rather have appointed Erik Saxon, a former township planning commissioner. Saxon lost the trustee seat race to O'Rourke in 2004 by 10 votes, and residents collected about 165 signatures in support of Saxon this time, Smith said.

"We're faced with tough issues and it's our job to come up with solutions, and I don't necessarily think going to the unknown (candidate) as a solution is the best way," she said. "It puts all the burden on the new person coming in, rather than having an honest discussion of facts."

But Trustee Paul Walter saw an advantage to choosing someone who's not as familiar with the township government.

"I think to get a fresh approach like that, to get someone who hasn't been in the local politics that long, is probably a good thing," he said. "I think Kyle will do a great job."

One of the most contentious issues facing the township is a high-voltage electrical substation Wolverine Power Cooperative plans to build near the corner of Bugai Road and M-72 on land owned by township Trustee Terry Lautner.

Trevas said he hasn't thoroughly researched the issue, but hopes the legal battles stop.

"There are arguments on both sides legally to keep fighting, so I think we need to come together and start making agreements ... not keep spending money fighting with each other," he said.

Text Only