By Matt Mackinder
Clarkston News Editor

At the Aug. 22 regular meeting of the Independence Township Board of Trustees, a motion by Trustee Sam Moraco and seconded by Supervisor Jose Aliaga adding language in the ordinance to prevent nonresidents from serving on the Zoning Board of Appeals was defeated 4-2.
Township Clerk Cari Neubeck, Treasurer Paul Brown, and Trustees Matt Stoian and Ron Ritchie voted no. Trustee Terri Nallamothu was absent.
“I am very disappointed about my board of trustees supporting the nonresident representing us on the ZBA,” Aliaga wrote in a Facebook post. “I will continue fighting to stop this since this is not what our community wants. I want to thank all the residents that come and support me. Thank you and God bless you.”
The nonresident on the ZBA is Brian Galley.
“I made the motion to eliminate the nonresident because it’s never been allowed and in the past, you were asked to resign when you moved from the township,” said Moraco. “It happened to Cheryl Karrick in 2012 and she immediately resigned. (Former Supervisor Pat) Kittle kept him around to vote the way he wanted. The four showboaters did nothing but protect their friend, basically. They have been misleading people to believe this is the norm and it’s not. They have no valid points to keep him and not one resident I ever talked to wants a nonresident on the board. I don’t think half the board members even understand the difference in power he has between planning commission and zoning board.”
Ritchie said his vote was centered around the fact that the supervisor and the board of trustees “should be vetting candidates for the planning commission (or any board/commission member) to select the best possible person to represent the township on the commission.”
“When making this choice, they should be selecting someone that is capable of fulfilling all the duties that may arise as a PC member,” said Ritchie. “If they feel this person cannot do this, then they should not vote for that person. The State of Michigan Planning Enabling Act specifically provides that one member of the planning commission can be a nonresident, so this person should also be capable and qualified to serve as the planning commission liaison to the ZBA as part of the PC duties.
“Some members of the Township Board feel that because the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act does not specifically state that one member can be a nonresident, that it is not allowed, but it is. The township board has the opportunity and the duty to select the best person available to fill the township board/commission positions and they have the authority to not select a nonresident with the ordinance as it is currently written, so changing the ordinance does not add value to the process of selecting the best person.”
Stoian said he understands the feeling of only wanting residents on township boards.
“I even agreed and planned to vote in favor of stopping nonresidents in the future,” Stoian said. “Who cares more about maintaining your house than yourself? But looking back, I realized I came to this decision quickly and it may have been a knee-jerk reaction to the term ‘nonresident.’ I decided to try and remove my feelings and truly consider this from both sides. Our planning commission is a group of individuals we’ve put in place because we value their opinion and it’s only right to consider their view, especially since their vote was unanimous. This is an important part of being on the township board, openly listening and honestly considering other views.
“There is the feeling that a nonresident can’t truly care about our township. That was my feeling as well, but this needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. If an individual cares enough to give their time to be on our planning commission, they probably care about our township. In this case specifically, we aren’t talking about a nonresident from Brighton, Detroit, or something close like Bloomfield. We are talking about our neighbor. I personally care about development in Orion Township, so it’s possible this nonresident cares about us. I care because development is moving north on 75. Whatever is happening in Orion Township is coming our way. If I could make sure they are well maintained and possibly slow their growth a bit, I would. That could potentially slow our growth as well. I want to add whatever is good and needed here, but at the same time maintain the small-town feel.”
Brown noted that he appreciates resident concerns on the issue.
“Supervisor Aliaga and Trustee Moraco created this issue for political not practical reasons,” said Brown. “It was driven by campaign promises to fix a ‘problem’ if there were one, that both helped to create. In 2014, Trustee Moraco seconded the motion to appoint nonresident Brian Galley as the liaison to the Zoning Board of Appeals. From 2015 to 2021, Trustee Moraco never raised the residency issue during the annual planning commission election of officers. In fact, Mr. Moraco voted in 2021 to elect Commissioner Galley to serve as vice-chairperson of the planning commission as a nonresident. Supervisor Aliaga, between 2014 and 2019, was absent for every board meeting where reappointments to all our commissions and boards took place. If he was so concerned about the ‘issue,’ why did he miss every reappointment meeting for six years? Pushed by Mr. Moraco, Supervisor Aliaga has allocated thousands of tax dollars for consultants and attorneys to change the ordinance to stop nonresidents from service on the ZBA when less than two years ago, he voted to appoint a nonresident as the liaison.
“As supervisor he could have simply waited for the nonresident’s term to expire and decline to request his reappointment, as is his authority.”
At the end of the day, Ritchie said the township board is comprised of seven individuals for a reason.
“The Independence Township Board of Trustees is made up of seven people that each have their ideas and opinions of what is best for the township,” said Ritchie. “Each item/issue is reviewed, discussed and voted upon to be approved or not. Not every issue is decided with a unanimous decision, but this is why we have the board made up of multiple people to assure that all sides are viewed and presented.”
Stoian added that when it comes to considering arguments, “things are being said inside and outside of our meetings.”
“From time to time, some of it seems to be said with the intention of getting a reaction,” Stoian said. “It feels like this is being pushed by some to make a show and to gain prominence. My intention here is not to get involved in the political game. I only intend to listen to both sides thoroughly and pray God gives me wisdom and discernment. Hopefully viewing all valid points from either side, I try to make the best decision possible.”
Moraco can’t wait until next year’s election.
“The residents want (Galley) gone, so I’m fighting for them and the other board members are fighting for one person,” said Moraco. “That’s the problem with these members – they only make decisions to suit themselves, never for the residents. Galley voted to prevent a public hearing on the issue and Ron, Terri and Paul also voted to prevent public comment. If you don’t want public comment how can you represent the residents? You can’t. That’s why it is so obvious they are all self-serving and have no regard for what the residents want. I wouldn’t ask those four for the truth on the issue. I would ask anyone else you ever run into if they want nonresidents governing them and it will tell you all you need to know. I will be working diligently to get others that would better represent us to run in 2024 when everyone’s terms are up.”

PHOTO: Township Hall. File photo: Matt Mackinder