Canton Township Clerk Candidate May Have to Relinquish School Board Seat if Elected

(Originally published on Oct. 24, 2016) CANTON TOWNSHIP, MI – Canton Township clerk candidate Michael Siegrist says that if he's elected Nov. 8, he will resign from his current position as a Plymouth-Township school trustee to avoid legal conflicts. Frank Woodhams, a spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State, told The Canton Observer Siegrist can't legally hold both positions.

A 2004 legal opinion from then-Attorney General Mike Cox said officials serving in both township clerk and school board positions would have "competing interests" because township clerk offices oversee school board elections and are paid by school boards to do it.

Local clerks have been handling school elections since 2005.

Siegrist said he got legal advice before filing for the position and was told there was no conflict.

"When I made the decision to run for clerk, there was some uncertainty over when any type of conflict would arise between the two positions," he told The Observer. "I made the decision thinking I would be able to do both positions, believing that my experience with the school board would make me a more impactful clerk."

If elected, "I will cross that bridge when I come to it," Siegrist told The Observer.

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