The Harris-Trump race be damned: The real question is who will be Delta Township’s supervisor next year.
Ken Fletcher, a 16-year Democratic incumbent, is facing a felony charge that led him to resign Sept. 4. It was too late to remove his name from the Nov. 5 ballot, and he remained the only candidate until two newcomers filed to run as write-ins about a month ago.
“If he were to win, would he be willing to serve? Or would he disqualify himself? No one knows what he’s going to do,” resident Bob Payne said.
One of Fletcher’s attorneys, Mike Nichols of Nichols Law Firm, reached City Pulse Wednesday. He said Fletcher is "not campaigning" and was doubtful he would accept the position if elected. "He's got to focus on his family right now," Nichols said.
Fletcher was charged with allegedly accosting a minor for immoral purposes after he admitted to investigators Aug. 21 that he had been having sexual conversations with someone whom he believed to be a 15-year-old boy on Grindr, an LGBTQ+ hookup app. In reality, it was an undercover member of Michigan’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
“I was quite surprised that a public official would be involved in that kind of sexual misadventure,” Payne said. He added that he cast his vote for one of the write-in candidates, third-year Delta Township resident Saturn Wells.
Wells, 41, a human resources director for local Marriott-owned hotel chains and co-founder of We Church in Lansing, filed Sept. 30.
“It was quick, but I’m kind of a doer. If I make a decision, I need to hurry, walk it out and execute, because I don’t want to overthink it,” Wells said. “At a minimum, I have to do what I can and hope that it brings more transparency.”
The other write-in candidate is Richard Ott, 70, a 22-year township resident, retired General Motors Co. electrician and U.S. Navy veteran. He submitted his paperwork Oct. 4.
“I’d just seen that Fletcher had resigned, and I found out you could write your name in. I figured I’d just run and see how it went, and if it happens, it happens,” Ott said.
For their votes to be counted, write-in candidates must file a Declaration of Intent by two Fridays before the election. Wells and Ott were the only ones to qualify. Write-in campaigns are strictly nonpartisan, meaning neither could identify with a party.
The pair are all that stands between Fletcher and another term — though it’s still unclear if he would accept it. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Sept. 16 and is awaiting his Nov. 12 probable cause conference at the 56A District Court.
If he’s reelected, Delta Township Clerk Mary Clark said he would have until Dec. 31 to accept or refuse the seat.
“After that point, the office is considered abandoned. The board would then have 45 days to appoint a replacement,” said Clark, the interim supervisor.
If Fletcher does win, he could choose to serve through at least the end of his court case, Clark said. Per township ordinance, he wouldn’t face removal unless he’s issued a sentence of “one year or more,” she said.
Like Payne, township residents are uncertain about the outcome, though several told City Pulse they avoided voting for supervisor altogether.
“It was a huge shock when it came out,” said one resident who identified herself only as Pat. She added that she and her husband both opted against selecting a supervisor when they voted early Monday morning.
Brenda Henderson, a township resident since 1991 and self-described lifelong Democrat, said she filled her ballot out across party lines. That included a vote for Fletcher.
“I’m not worried at all, because I know we’re in good hands,” Henderson said. “Things will come out the way they should, and this will be rectified soon. We’ve got until January to see if he’s going to accept or resign, and I trust that the board will do something about it then.”
Despite her vote, Henderson added that she was “shocked” to hear the allegations.
“I was surprised because I knew him. He would come by my house and put yard signs out, and I’d seen him when I went to different meetings and so forth,” she said.
The two write-in candidates, Wells and Ott, have very different campaign approaches.
Wells quickly assembled a team of canvassers, campaign literature and yard signs. She is confident in her chances.
“To me, this is a leader who’s fallen,” Wells said. “So, the biggest thing is not to look at what happened, because that’s something that he’s going to deal with and be held accountable for. The question now is, how are we going to move forward? What is our plan?”
Her goal, if elected, is to “bring more transparency” to the township.
“We’re still going door to door quite a bit, because my goal is to meet as many people as I can. We’re going to continue those efforts, say a prayer and see what happens,” Well said.
Ott, on the other hand, said he is “not spending any money or campaigning.” He declined a request for a photo.
He admitted that he’s “assuming Fletcher will still win.”
“Word is, he will just resign that position in January, and the township will either hire somebody or move Mary in full time,” Ott said, referring to Clark.
“I thought maybe they just needed new blood, and if I believe I can help, I will,” he added on his decision to run. “If I couldn’t really perform the job, I’d tell the board to promote Mary and pay her what she’s worth. That’s probably what they’re going to end up doing anyways.”
Elsewhere on the Delta Township ballot, four Democrat incumbents and two Republicans are vying for four trustee seats. David Howell, one of the latter pair, said he and other candidates may have considered stepping up to run for supervisor had Fletcher resigned sooner.
If Fletcher wins and steps down, Howell said he hopes to see township officials take the time to hear from residents before appointing a replacement.
“My better self tells me that they will go through a competitive interview process. But my fear is that they will just appoint someone,” he said.
“It would be a lot cleaner if one of the write-in candidates was victorious,” he added, indicating that he personally supported Wells’ bid.
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