KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP (WKZO-AM) — There is a changing of the guard in Kalamazoo Township.
It’s more than just a few new faces after an election. The Township Board is switching over from an elected supervisor running the show to a full-time professional manager, who is appointed by the board of trustees.
The new manager, Dexter Mitchell, has been on the job two weeks. The newly-elected supervisor, clerk and treasurer will have different roles from now on.
The board is losing three members: Pamela Brown Goodacre, the first African American to be elected to the township board, and treasurer George Cochran, who has served for 8 years.
Clerk Don Thall is retiring. He has been an elected official in the rownship for over 53 years.
Supervisor Ron Reid said Thall kept the township functioning and on track for much of his career.
“Truly a workhorse of this township, and I do think he ran this township for about 35 years”, and always did it with a sense of humor and a personable style,” Reid said.
The outgoing board approved the $8.6 million budget for 2017 as one of their final official acts.
The newly elected members of the board, treasurer Sherine Miller, and trustees Jeremy Hathcock and Nicolette Leigh will be sworn in on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Kalamazoo Township Hall.
