Bloomfield Township Board Accepting Trustee Applications For Next Two Weeks

Bloomfield Township officials are asking residents interested in serving as a trustee on the township board to submit completed applications that should be available later today.

The board on Wednesday unanimously approved opening the process to select a seventh member to all residents that are registered to vote. Anyone interested must do the following by Aug. 25:

• Submit a letter of intent
• Include a resume
• Answer a dozen questions that range from local control and land issues, to what changes the candidate would make to the township, if chosen.

The application packet should be available at Supervisor Leo Savoie’s office in Township Hall later today, and can be downloaded from the township’s website. State law requires an appointment to an open township board seat within 45 days of the vacancy, or the county clerk will call for a special election.

The candidate selected will assume the remainder of Savoie’s trustee seat, which he had to give up to replace retiring Dave Payne on Aug. 1. The term expires in November 2012.

Clerk Jan Roncelli said between 12 and 25 people applied for previous trustee vacancies, and that the position has generated enough interest without active recruiting or advertising.

At their next meeting on Aug. 22, board members will set a study session for early September to discuss candidates. They are not committed to making an appointment that night.

Trustee David Buckley, appointed under a similar process in 2002, said he anticipates a lot of interest in the position and would prefer whittling down the field to three or five candidates for final interviews.

He said the questionnaire gives the board a glimpse of the applicant’s approach to policy and decision making.

“It gives us an idea of someone’s picture of where they see the role of trustee in the grand scheme both politically and in a tax and spend position,” Buckley said.