By Jean Zott | March 18, 2025
In communities across Michigan, a troubling trend is emerging in local governance — one that allows political insiders to sidestep the will of the voters and consolidate power through strategic appointments. This practice involves filling vacancies on city councils, township boards, school boards and county commissions by appointment rather than special election, and it is being used to stack these bodies with individuals who align with the existing administration’s agenda, often at the expense of true voter representation.
The Appointment Loophole
Here’s how the process unfolds: A local official, often newly elected, steps down shortly after winning his or her seat. This creates a vacancy that, according to local rules and charters, the remaining members of the governing body may often filled through an appointment. Instead of allowing voters to choose a replacement through a special election, the administration appoints a successor who shares its views and priorities, effectively circumventing the democratic process.
Although the governor has established a guideline allowing special elections in May or November to address such vacancies, many communities are avoiding these elections altogether claiming that elections are too expensive.
Instead, they delay filling the seat through the ballot box until the next regularly scheduled election for state or federal offices, which may be years away. In the meantime, the appointee serves without voter approval, often making critical decisions on local policies, budgets, and development projects. In addition, the new appointee gains name recognition through social media and newspapers reporting on his or her activity. This practice provides the power of incumbency for the next election.
A Threat to Local Democracy
The implications of this appointment-versus-election practice are profound. First, it undermines voter intent. If a community elects candidates only to see them step down and have unelected appointees replace them, the electorate is effectively denied a say in their representation.
Second, this highly questionable process allows those in power to handpick successors who align with their agenda and entrench their influence—whether that agenda matches the will of the people or not.
Appointments are meant to be a temporary solution to an unexpected vacancy, not a tool for political manipulation. Yet by delaying special elections, local officials are effectively using appointments as a means to maintain control. This practice appears to be used to tilt the balance of power on critical issues such as zoning laws, tax policies, and local economic development, all without direct voter input.
Need for Reform
To restore integrity to local government, communities must demand transparency and accountability in the appointment process. Local governments should be required by law to hold special elections as soon as legally possible, and government officials should be prohibited—and face significant financial and legal penalties—if they delay these elections until politically convenient. Citizens should also push for charter amendments that limit how long appointees may serve before facing voters.
Voters must remain vigilant, questioning why vacancies are being filled by appointment rather than election. If local leaders continue to bypass the ballot box in favor of political appointments, they risk eroding public trust in government—a price that no community can afford, or should be willing, to pay.
In a time when faith in institutions is already fragile, the last thing we need is for democracy to be subverted at the local level. It is time to demand better.
Current Examples
West Bloomfield Township, Michigan: A Supervisor’s Exit and an Inside Job
The residents of West Bloomfield Township cast their votes expecting stability in leadership in November 2024. Yet, two days after being sworn in for a third term, the township supervisor abruptly resigned. Rather than considering the challenger from the primary election—the candidate who had also sought the role—the remaining township officials selected one of their own. In a further twist, the appointed supervisor even participated in the vote to secure his own position. The process left many questioning whether this was democracy in action or simply a political maneuver to keep power within a tight circle.
Macomb County, Michigan: A Commissioner’s Resignation
Shortly after his reelection, Macomb County Commissioner, Don Brown stepped down to take a job in the county’s Public Works office under Candice Miller. Brown's departure triggered an appointment process that raised eyebrows.
A pool of 15 candidates applied for the vacant seat, but the final selection went to a former employee of Candice Miller. The Macomb County Board of Commissioners approved the appointment in an 8 to 4 vote, effectively bypassing the will of the voters.
More troubling, the appointed commissioner will serve for two years until a special election in 2026. Prior to 2024, commissioner terms were two years. Currently, commissioners now serve four year terms. Many of the applicants were disappointed there would not be a May special election.
Clarkston School Board: A Dismissed Leader Returns to Power
In 2022, voters in the Clarkston School District made their voices heard when they rejected an incumbent school board member in favor of two new candidates. But their choice was soon undermined. When another board member resigned shortly after the election, the remaining board members appointed none other than the recently ousted incumbent to fill the vacancy.
As if the move were not controversial enough, they went a step further and elevated the appointed member to the position of board president. Parents and community members who had voted for change found themselves facing the same leadership they had intentionally ousted.
Of note
During the writing of this article, a newly elected L’Anse Creuse school board member in Macomb County has resigned from office, four months after he was elected. This board member and another recently ousted an incumbent. Appointment pending.
Clintondale School District in Clinton County is in the process of appointing a replacement to fill a vacancy due to the death of a board member.
Where have our elections gone?
Jean Zott is a CPA and former candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives. She remains politically active, focusing on Michigan’s state and local politics. Jean and her husband live in Shelby Township, Michigan.
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