To the editor:

I am an artist, businesswoman and a journalist. I moved to Van Buren Township in 1971. My husband and I joined neighbors to establish our township’s badly needed first volunteer fire department in 1976. My husband served on the board and fire squad. I helped with fundraising by hosting an auction in Story at my business, The Story General Store and Real Food Cafe. I helped with fundraising for many years.

I have been asked to run for township trustee twice by precinct committee chairmen from both political parties. I declined each time.

This time was different. This time I was drafted by several upset neighbors, upset with our trustee’s treatment of our beloved fire department’s volunteers for the past four years. My neighbors had petitions signed by hundreds of neighbors asking that the trustee immediately pay our fire department and, later, another petition asking that the trustee and the advisory board immediately resign their positions.

Since 2014, our trustee had refused to pay volunteers their annual $200 stipend for gas and special clothing, nor did she pay for their workman’s compensation insurance. Each of these payments are mandated by state laws!

Our trustee also refused to pay our highly skilled fire department’s contract payments starting in 2014 and continuing until early July 2017, even while the Volunteer Fire Department of Van Buren Township continued to deliver contracted, high-quality services!

Being a journalist, I carefully and thoroughly researched all claims made by our trustee regarding her refusal to pay funds owed to our not-for-profit fire department and the individual volunteers. Research included court documents related to the court case filed by our fire department to obtain their back contract payments and many lengthy interviews with firefighters and residents. I found no support for the trustee’s claims, then agreed with my neighbors: We need a new trustee!

In my opinion, our trustee was gambling, putting our residents, businesses and visitors at risk! She had no way of knowing if our fire department would keep delivering services without being paid. Luckily, they did, for years! They were forced to hold weekly fundraisers their last year of operation — weekly! Township taxpayers, who had already paid for the services of the department, showed up to weekly to supply the funds to financially keep our volunteer department functioning.

This very department skillfully rescued me and others several times. They also saved my life when I had a very serious heart attack in 2016.

I believe residents need to know, and deserve to know, that something good will happen if and when we dial 911. We had great emergency services for decades, and we expect the same today, but unfortunately, we no longer have them.

I believe all residents, including and especially the trustee, should be bending over backwards to thank volunteers every day, not causing them stress and showing them disrespect. Our trustee finally paid them off, ending the court case. But there were more unfortunate surprises to come.

Our trustee immediately severed our fire department’s contract, leaving residents, businesses, our properties and visitors officially unprotected again for nearly five months until the new fire department was operable. Our 42-year-old department continued to make all 911 calls, again with no pay and no thanks from our trustee.

I am appalled, like many of my neighbors, that any public servant would gamble with our safety and the wellbeing of our properties and also treat volunteers, risking their lives for their neighbors, in such a shameful way. When the trustee severed the department’s contract I realized my life is at stake; I either had to move or run for office.

These reasons and more are why I am running for Van Buren Township trustee. With my communication, business and conflict resolution skills, I know I can improve our community and our current fire department. I believe I can return peace of mind to Van Buren Township.

For more detailed information, please visit Facebook page “Elect A New Van Buren Township Trustee” or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Susan W. Showalter, artist and journalist