2012 Oshtemo Township Elections

Oshtemo Township will see hotly contested elections for control of its board in November. The board consists of the Supervisor, Treasurer, Clerk, and four trustees. Republicans hold a 4-3 majority on the board.

Supervisor: The incumbent democrat Supervisor is Elizabeth Heiny-Cogswell, who defeated Republican former county commissioner Bob Brink in 2008, replacing retiring Republican John VanDyke. She will be challenged by former democrat county commissioner John Nieuwenhuis, running as a Republican. Nieuwenhuis defeated Brink in 2006 and lost the democrat primary to Trustee Scott McCormick in 2010.

Treasurer: The incumbent treasurer is moderate Republican Nancy Culp. She is being challenged by 28-year-old democrat Grant Taylor. He is the brother of county commissioner John Patrick Taylor. In 2010, he filed to run for state representative in the 61st district, but was disqualified since he had moved into the district one day before the filing deadline, failing the 30-day residency requirement. He ran in the democrat primary as a write-in candidate, spending $95,246, but lost by a wide margin. He has been vague about his background, including where he went to college, whether he obtained a degree, and whether he is employed.

Clerk: Incumbent Republican clerk Deb Everett defeated Terri Porte in the primary. She is being challenged by democrat Jeff Parsons in the general election. Parsons was Grant Taylor's campaign manager in 2010.

Trustees: There are four current trustees. They are

• Republican David Bushouse, a 16-year incumbent who is running for reelection
• Democrat Grace Borgfjord, who is running for county treasurer
• Republican Scott Ernstes, who was appointed to replace Republican Jim Grace, who resigned. He was defeated in the Republican primary.
• Democrat Lee Larson, who was appointed to replace democrat Scott McCormick, who resigned.

In the Republican primary, David Bushouse, Themi Corakis, Neil Sikora, and Nancy Carr who nominations over Jerry Stirton, Martin Dodge, and Scott Ernstes. Themi Corakis is the son of the late conservative Republican trustee Ted Corakis. Sikora was a member of the board 2004-8, and was defeated for reelection in the general election. Democrats have nominated Lee Larson, Colman Lutz, and Dusty Farmer.