Supervisor Terry Gonser has put an item on the Jan 13 Board of Trustees meeting agenda that calls for an expensive special election to be held in May 2015 simply to ask voters to grant the elected Supervisor position the powers and duties of a strong supervisor for Oakland Township. The current Board of Trustees, elected in 2012, who, early on, supported Terry Gonser’s leadership have, more recently, repeatedly rebuffed his attempts to assume the duties now assigned to the Township’s professional full-time manager. Gonser’s current responsibilities are limited to:
- chairing the Board of Trustee meetings;
- signing some documents that legally require the signature of the elected Supervisor
- some ceremonial roles in community events.
Under our current Township Structure the hired Professional Township Manager (or Superintendent) has full authority to manage the day to day operation of the Township within the guidelines established by the entire Board.
Gonser, despite the legal limitations of his elected position, has professed to spending 50-60 hours/week doing his “job” at the Township Hall interfering in the business and work of professional staff and management. Oakland Township, under Gonser has experienced unprecedented turnover of personnel, lawsuits and legal expenses. His penchant for taking unilateral actions without authorization by the Board has been well documented on this site. These, among other problems, are why his formerly loyal Board of Trustees have voted against allowing him to take on any additional responsibilities.
Here are some of our previous posts about Gonser’s multiple attempts to officially expand his power:
Trustees reject Supervisor Gonser’s desire to become a “Strong Supervisor” – November 2013
Can we trust Supervisor Gonser with more authority? – November 2013
There are many recent examples of Gonser’s actions that are reasons for the Oakland Township Board not approving Gonser’s request. Those actions can be read by scrolling through the many previous posts in the “Supervisor Gonser” category on the right side of this web page.
The best reason for not centralizing all that authority in one elected official was summarized by one citizen’s comments:
“There would be great difficulty dismissing a ‘rogue’ supervisor!”
Please come to the January 13th Board of Trustees meeting and voice your opinion about whether Oakland Township should change its governmental structure and stop being managed by a professional full-time Superintendent.
Jim Foulkrod
Oakland Township Watchers 
NO WAY IN HELL!
Sent from my iPhone
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This is unbelievable! Well, I know what my vote will be. Terry is costing the township LOADS of money between this and the Blossom Ridge litigation.
It’s not his money!
Y’ know, I really don’t see him as a “bad person.” Rather, he just happens to espouse a philosophy and point of view with which I simply cannot agree, I oppose him on those grounds, but not because I see him as a bad guy.
I guess if lying is considered acceptable for an elected official, then he is not a ‘bad person’. When he lied to the Rochester Post about not having enough time to record the September 29th meeting, when he actually CANCELLED the recording of the meeting(s), I guess the moral compass of our Township comes into question.
Terry Gonser believes that “HIS end justifies HIS means,” and that includes not only lying, but also intimidation and threats as well. It is NEVER ok to lie to and purposefully deceive the very people you are charged and entrusted to represent. Terry Gonser’s actions and the inactions of this board for far too long has cost this Township two divided elected bodies due to the frivolous lawsuit filed against four Parks Commissioners, as well as continuous harassment, perpetrated and supported by Terry Gonser, which not one Board member has spoken publicly against. Not only has hundreds of thousands of tax payer’s dollars in inflated legal costs, both as plaintiff and defendant been frivolously allocated, (not to mention all the hundreds of thousands wasted on mismanaged and abandoned projects that never have been completed), but the complete tarnishing of an esteemed reputation of our Township as a whole amongst the surrounding municipalities, community groups, non-profits, and State and Federal agencies due to Terry Gonser’s continual, unauthorized and ill-advised actions with complete disregard for the law. Terry Gonser’s actions, with and without Board involvement has caused the constant turn-over in the administration of our Township with premature and unjustified dismissals of loyal employees and appointed public representatives, who held the history and heritage of what made our Township unique to cause so many to want to live here. Bottom line, Terry Gonser’s constant and long unchallenged usurping of two elected bodies authority has cost us all greatly, in more ways than one.
Judy Keyes
Former Board of Trustees, Trustee
Resigned October 22, 2013, (As a result of the above).
(One of two Trustees who resigned during this term)
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