Hamburg Township Saga Continues

The names have changed, but the story hasn't.

The new all-male, all Republican Hamburg Township board is continuing the same antics as the previous board, most of whose members lost in either the August primary or the November election (or both in the case of Clerk Joanna Hardesty.)

The Livingston Press and Argus has the latest antics here.

Because the link will soon be dead, here's the gist: Clerk Matt Skiba wanted to give a big pay raise to Deputy Clerk Michael Zeglevski, but the rest of the board wouldn't go along with it. There was missing information on his resume for one thing. He doesn't have any experience in the duties of the job, which include handling Freedom of Information Act requests. And he claimed he had a professional license as a counselor but some board members said they couldn't find a record of it. And then there was this:

A Hamburg resident complained about Zeglevski that, "I've watched him making masturbating gestures. I’ve seen him lift his leg and fart on people."

You could not make that stuff up if you tried.

Hamburg, you had your chance but you bypassed Democrat Debby Buckland for township clerk. I guess she should have promised comic relief instead of competence in the job.

In Hamburg, the More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

The in-fighting in Hamburg Township did not stop with the Nov. 4 election.

Replacing one Republican (JoAnna Hardesty) with another (Matt Skiba) in the township clerk's job did not end the squabbling.

The latest incident is a sign erected by a Hardesty supporter attacking Skiba for his past financial problems. (Sign photo from Livingston Press and Argus website.)

Hardesty did not give up after losing to Skiba in the Republican primary, choosing to run a write-in campaign. Foolishly, the Press and Argus endorsed her instead of Democrat Debby Buckland. So Hamburg ended up with Skiba.

And the soap opera bubbles on.

Bizarre Hardesty Ad Rehashes Hamburg Troubles

Just when you think relations among Hamburg Township Republicans can't get any more bizarre, this happens.

An apparent supporter of Township Clerk Joanna Hardesty has begun running ads on the Livingston Press and Argus website quoting Ronald Reagan and rehashing the troubles on the township board that led to the defeat of incumbents in the August primary.

Addressed to "Livingston Reagan Republicans," the first segment of the website ad blames local Republican Party leadership and/or Rick and Cindy Pine, township supervisor defeated in the primary, for stirring up trouble on the Hamburg board. Three more segments are promised.

The details of the whole Hamburg Township situation are too messy to go into here. Sort of like the details of a really dysfunctional family. Hardesty is now running a long-shot write-in campaign against Matt Skiba, a Republican so unimpressive that even the Livingston Press and Argus could not endorse him, and Democrat Debby Buckland.

The only way to end this long-running soap opera is to break up the Republican gang on the township board and replace some of them with people who care about the community more than about stabbing each other in the back.

Hamburg Township voters should put some Democrats on the board -- Debby Buckland (clerk), Linda Taylor (treasurer), and Shannon Piper (trustee) -- to babysit with the Republicans and make sure the work gets done.

MLive: Buckland Race Is Hottest in Hamburg

Hot, hot, hot.

That's the way MLive, the on-line version of Livingston Community News, describes Democrat Debby Buckland's race with Republican Matt Skiba for Hamburg Township clerk.

Buckland is running a classy, well-thought-out campaign for the post.

Check out the MLive race summary here.

Hamburg Clerk Candidate Buckland Brings Class to Race

Check out the Livingston Press and Argus piece from Thursday (Oct. 9, 2008) for a peek at someone who promises to be a great clerk for Hamburg Township.

Debby Buckland is featured in the article, which touts her suggestion that township officials themselves spend a few hours at the reception desk greeting township residents who come in for service.

There is a lot more to Debby than that great idea, however. Although a strong Democrat, she has a great deal of respect for people on both sides of the aisle. She often comments that she likes a particular person regardless of whether he or she is a Republican.

That's the kind of attitude Hamburg Township government needs right now -- someone who wants to get along with people and help everyone work together.