As one of his first jobs as a new Oakland County commissioner, Eric Wilson asked the board to give three municipalities some financial help with two recent elections.
His contention is that residents of Orion and Oakland Township and the Village of Lake Orion were without representation three months due to a vacancy in the 3rd District.
Former commissioner, Larry Obrecht, resigned on March 3. Wilson wasn’t elected until June 17.
County commissioners opted not to fill the vacancy within 30 days. Instead, the vacancy was filled by conducting a primary election and special election.
These costs, says Wilson, were not anticipated in the 2003 budgets of the three municipalities and were an unanticipated financial burden on them.
The Orion Township’s clerk’s office estimated that approximately $50,000 was spent by the township to hold the two elections.
Wilson wants his fellow commissioners to authorize three months of unpaid salary from the 3rd District to be distributed to the municipalities based on the number of registered voters in the special election precincts