Lakefield Township voters in the August 4 primary probably noticed there was no candidate to pick for the position of Lakefield Township Clerk.
Tim Teed, who has held the position since 2005, is not running for reelection. Unfortunately, no one is running at all.
The clerk is responsible for all record keeping for the township, including taxes and financial records, and voting records. It’s the most demanding position the township has, taking about 20 hours a week during election seasons and 5 to 10 hours a week any other time of year. It pays about $1,000 a month.
“It ties up enough time where people who have shown interest in it say that it’s too much time,” Teed said. “They’re getting like me. I have grandchildren in South Carolina. It would be nice to take a couple months in the winter to spend down there. Not just for grandma, but for grandpa, too.”
A couple people have expressed interest so far, but haven’t yet been willing to take it on.
So Teed has a plan. He’s since filed for the November ballot as a non-partisan candidate. He will likely get re-elected. But if in the meantime someone decided they were really interested, Teed says he could resign after the election so the township could appoint the other candidate. If no one runs, Teed will stay on until another willing resident comes forward.
“You’ve got to have someone who is pretty committed to it,” he said. “Being organized definitely helps.”
The clerk and treasurer are also instrumental with the bi-annual audit, Teed said. And there’s a lot of reading involved, because the regulations around taxes and voting change frequently.
“If you don’t like to read, or make changes in your life, it’s difficult,” Teed said.
There’s a joke, Teed said, about township clerks.
“The only way you can get rid of this job is to flat-out quit, or die,” he repeated.
But Teed says he doesn’t necessarily feel stuck in the position.
“Hopefully somebody will step up soon,” he said.
