Thanks for the opportunity to give you some information on myself and having it put onto your website.

• Grew up in a very small village in the Irish Hills area of Michigan.
• Lived in Oakland County since 1977, shortly after finishing undergrad and starting a career with Chrysler.
• Earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Math from Michigan State University.
• Earned a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
• Lived in Oakland Township since 1994.
• Raised three children in Oakland County.
• Worked for Chrysler/DaimlerChrysler/FCA for 42 years as an Electrical Engineer in the testing area of Engineering (Highland Park and then Auburn Hills Tech Center).  Retired two years ago.
• Volunteer as a rescue diver for various boat races in Michigan, Ohio, and Florida.
• Avid SCUBA diver in the Great Lakes, and the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers.  I LOVE shipwrecks.
• Never held elected office, so quite a novice at this.

The reason I am now running for the Board of Trustees in Oakland Township is a desire to give back to the community in which I was fortunate to raise three wonderful children and in which I held a rewarding career.

I am a small government, low tax, conservative.  All the work I do and decisions I make are through that lens.  Elected representatives should do what the term suggests.  They should represent the wishes of their constituents, to the point of pushing their own personal biases aside.  That is what I will do if I am elected to the Board of Trustees.

Thank you for your consideration,

Dave Mabry

Jack Elder – Candidate for OT Trustee

Brief biography

• Lifelong resident of Oakland County (grew up in Royal Oak)
• Graduate of Oakland University
• Moved to Oakland Township to be in our Church community, close to friends and relatives
• Built our house in OT- Oak Arbor Sub – 1985
• Married to Karen Childs Elder for 39 years
• Three of our six children born in OT. We are currently “empty nesters”.
• Profession is Auto & Product design + business management
• Employee of General Motors (Cadillac) for 16 years – design and engineering
• After career at GM, I have started or helped start multiple manufacturing companies
• Currently owner and manager of Multiject, a tier One auto supplier and many other industries
• Past Oak Arbor HOA board member and board president
• Past board member – Upland Hills School
• Currently Adjunct Faculty at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, teaching Product and Transportation undergrad and grad students
• Currently on the board of multiple private manufacturing and real estate companies
• Past Republican precinct delegate for OT
• Lifelong enthusiastic supporter of:

o   Nature Conservancy (multiple locations)

o   Mackinac Center for Public Policy

o   Cato Institute

o   Multiple Religious organizations including Oak Arbor

I think it is important for private citizens to step up and serve their communities when possible. Similar to my job to teach college design students for the last 10+ years, I see this as an opportunity to give back to my OT community.

I sincerely believe that problems are solved best in the private/free market, and that governments should only step in when absolutely necessary, performing functions that they only can do best.

Transparency and responsiveness are essential to all government.

Although this has changed much over the last three decades, we love the rural / farming / nature aspects of OT. We have been involved with the Leelanau Conservancy (a private charity) which has done a great job of either buying sensitive properties, locking them up as nature preserves for posterity, or working with farmers to keep their lands as “farm properties” for posterity.

I am new to elected office, and have no big personal political ambitions.

Thanks,

Jack Elder

As previously published on this website, we extended an offer to the candidates who are running for Oakland Township positions in this August’s primary election.  We offered to publish their biographical information as well as their thoughts on issues facing the Township.  Candidate information will be shared as the candidates make that information available.

As a reminder, for the August primary, ticket splitting is not allowed. So a voter can only vote for the candidates in one party or the other.  The vote in November does allow voting for Democratic and/or Republican candidates.

Since there are no Democratic candidates running for the Oakland Township’s Treasurer position, Clerk’s position and the four Trustee positions, the August vote will determine who will win those seats in November.

I will post candidate information as it is provided to me.

Richard Michalski