The Independence Township board has two vacancies for the trustee position and nine candidates are being interviewed for these positions.
The problem is that 75 percent of these candidates have township affiliations, and one has previously been forced to resign from a trustee position due to a conflict of interest with his employer.
There are no real qualifications for this position other than a person having to have lived in the township for 30 days, be a registered voter, and have no criminal conviction.
This means there is no objective way to select any one candidate over another. This leads the door open to cronyism, favoritism, and voting for those who support the current narrative.
It is this kind of behavior that creates skepticism and a lack of trust in the board.
At the (Oct. 27) meeting, I argued that an election was the proper way to fill these positions. Let the people of Independence Township decide who we want as trustees. The cost of a special election may be used as an excuse.
This is a minimal cost given the township has over $50 million in the bank as a result of over-taxing residents.
An election will separate the wheat from the chaff so to speak as running for election requires a lot more time, money, and genuine commitment from a candidate compared to just showing up for an interview.
We voted for Jose Aliaga because we see the need for change.
Let’s not let this process of picking our officials derail the desire for change and forthrightness in township government.
Vincent Bozzone
Independence Township