By Matt Mackinder
Clarkston News Editor

INDEPENDENCE TWP. — One of the agenda items for the Dec. 19 Independence Township Board of Trustees regular meeting was to appoint two members to the Township Planning Commission.
That didn’t happen.
The two members not being reappointed, Brent Savidant, chair of the commission, and Judith Tully, secretary, were not contacted by Supervisor Jose Aliaga to see if they were seeking to stay on the planning commission or leave at the end of their terms on Dec. 31.
Applications to be on the planning commission were received from Savidant, Tully, Belinda Billings, Curt Carson, Patricia Dreslinski, Ross Gallentine, David Hayward, Patrick Kittle, Jr., Jessica Krug, Linda McGuire, William Scarborough, Tasha Schurgin, and Joseph Sucher.
Motions from Aliaga to appoint Scarborough and Sucher to terms that expire Dec. 31, 2026 both failed at the meeting, Sucher 4-3 and Scarborough 5-2.
“After years of service, (Savidant and Tully) didn’t even get a phone call to discuss with them why they might or might not stay on the board?” Township Trustee Ron Ritchie asked Aliaga at the meeting.
“No, I did not,” answered Aliaga.
“That seems a little unusual, don’t you think?” Ritchie responded.
Aliaga didn’t answer and then asked Township Trustee Sam Moraco if he was called by (former Supervisor Gerald Fisher in 2021) to ask if he wanted to stay on the planning commission, to which Moraco responded, “No.”
Ritchie asked if Moraco received a call from the supervisor and if he was being reappointed. Both answers from Moraco were “no.”
“So it’s not unusual,” Aliaga said.
“I think it’s unusual,” added Ritchie.
Township Treasurer Paul Brown then interjected, saying that Moraco was told by Fisher that he was not being reappointed to the planning commission and was offered a role on another committee.
“To say you didn’t meet with Supervisor Fisher is false,” Brown said. “I think it’s terrible that people would give a decade of service to this community, asked to be reappointed, and not even get a phone call. It makes me sick. It really makes me sick.”
Savidant was appointed back in 2014, reappointed in 2017 and 2020, and has been chair since 2016. Tully had been on the planning commission since 2012.
Township Clerk Cari Neubeck and Brown both stated at the meeting that they would not be in favor of changes to the planning commission. Aliaga asked that their votes be discussed in private, but Township Attorney Dan Kelly said being that it’s a public forum, it’s not against any bylaws to express how they will vote at a public meeting.
Savidant, also the community development director for the city of Troy, spoke at the meeting of his qualifications to serve on the planning commission, saying he is a certified planner in both Canada, where he is originally from (Ottawa, Ont.) and the United States.
“I’m an expert in planning and zoning,” Savidant said. “To the best of my knowldege, I’m the only AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners)-certified resident in the township. I am the most qualified resident in the township to serve on the planning commission. That’s fact, based on certification, education, and experience. It’s irrefutable.”
In addition to Savidant, Tully expressed interest in staying on the planning commission in paperwork submitted to the township.
Moraco stated later in the meeting that the development process in the township isn’t what it once was, and attributed that to the current planning commission.
“What used to happen when I was building subdivisions in the township is the builder would come in and he’d buy a piece of land, put in a beautiful subdivision and build his homes in there,” Moraco said. “And he was proud. Now, the developers come into the township, they put a land assembly, they beat us down for as much density they can possibly get out of us, and then they pawn it off to the highest bidder. That’s a different mentality of how business is done in the township. Since that mentality has changed, there’s no pride in the development. They’re just selling it off and leaving the state and going down south or staying here and don’t care what it looks like. It’s up to us to have the pride in the development.
“This planning commission has not shown that at all, in my opinion. And it shows. It’s very obvious to the residents that live here that we could do better. This is the first step to doing better. Get some people in there that are going to be tougher negotiators and demand better. That’s why I think you need to do this (replace planning commission members).”

PHOTO: The next regular meeting of the Independence Township Board of Trustees is scheduled for next Tuesday at 6 p.m. from Township Hall, located at 6483 Waldon Center Drive. File photo: Matt Mackinder