Despite public outcry and over objections from trustees, Sumpter Township Supervisor Tim Bowman has appointed his son, T.J. Bowman, Jr. as deputy supervisor in the township.
Bowman removed the item from the July 28 meeting agenda after Treasurer Bart Patterson and Trustee Matt Oddy expressed objections to the appointment which failed by a tie vote at the July 14 meeting in Patterson’s absence.
Patterson said he felt the appointment was inappropriate while the township faced critical issues, including management positions which remain unfilled, the pending annual audit and financial governance.
Patterson also questioned the qualifications of T.J. Bowman and the description of duties he was to perform. Patterson noted that the tasks listed to be performed by the deputy were already assigned to current township employees, including answering phones and managing township hall maintenance.
“I just don’t see the need with the important issues pending,” Patterson said. “We already have all these things covered.”
Oddy also questioned the job duties as he did during Bowman’s first attempt to appoint his son at the previous meeting. The deputy supervisor duties are described as “statutory” and limited to taking phone calls for the supervisor and providing the necessary signature of a township official when the supervisor is unable to do so.
“You don’t have to appoint a deputy,” he told Bowman.
Patterson also reminded Bowman that during his original campaign for election to the job, he promised to “Drain the Sumpter Swamp” and “get rid of all the nepotism.”
“Those are your words, too much nepotism,” Patterson said asking Bowman if his opinion on nepotism had now changed. Bowman responded, “ Well then yes, my opinion has changed” after reminding the board of two township employees related to Sumpter officials.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, one resident told the board embers that she had taken a poll of her neighbors that morning regarding Bowman’s plan to appoint his son. She said the response was totally negative.
“Legal doesn’t mean it’s right,” she said. She also addressed Bowman’s conduct at the earlier meeting when he threw his paperwork to the floor and stormed out of the meeting following the failure of his proposal to appoint his son.
“As a public official you are held to a higher level of control,” she told Bowman. She said his “tantrum” undermined the confidence of the public in their township leaders.
A second resident agreed noting that he had no idea if the younger Bowman was a Rhodes Scholar or someone far less educated. “This is not the right thing to do. If I were king, it would be a felony. This is the wrong thing to do, period,” he said.
Township attorney Rob Young also took to the podium during the public comment segment and told the board members he wanted to speak as a citizen, not as the township attorney for 40 years.
“Local government is the last bastion of democracy,” he said. He cautioned the audience members that opinions about one board member should not influence their opinion of the efficacy of township services. He reminded the audience that the upcoming millage vote for support of the township police department should be based on the best interest of the township, not on dislike or opinion of one individual.
Young noted the exceptional reputation of the Sumpter Township Police Department throughout the area and at the county level. “Sumpter is viewed as the best department in Wayne County,”
Young said. He cited confidence in the Wayne County prosecutor’s office places in the township detectives and the leadership and training of the department.
“I hope everyone is voting in the best interest of the community, and I hope and pray the police department is supported,” he concluded.
This was the third attempt by Bowman to secure township employment for his son. The younger Bowman was not hired for a DPW part-time position, and the board appointed another candidate as the ordinance officer after the hiring committee deemed his position with his father’s construction company was a conflict of interest.
