Township Board Shakeup

Lundberg, Jankowski switch positions on board of trustees

By Tim Smith

taking that on, and I’ll be here and around to help her do that.”

The first election Jankowski will preside over, along with deputy clerk Katie Anderson and two full-time staffers, is the May 2 bond renewal for Northville Public Schools. Should that election be successful, the district will receive $134 million for major capital improvements, including upgrades to programs and technology.

Schools.

“I’ve got three grandchildren (ages six, nine, 13) and they all live in the area,” Lundberg said. “What I have found is, being in a full-time job, and with some night duties too, with meetings and study sessions, I’ve not been able to spend the time with my grandkids that I really want to.”

There will be little to no issues moving forward due to the job swap, according to Supervisor Mark Abbo.

“We have great dynamics with our board,” Abbo said. “We work together extremely well. We accomplish the objectives and we generally find the right answers. So I was very pleased that he (Lundberg) was willing to stay on as a trustee. Because he is a very valuable resource to the board of trustees and to Northville Township. I think we got the best result with what we did, giving Cyndy the opportunity for the clerk’s position and retaining Roger as a member of our board of trustees.”

Both Lundberg and Jankowski already have worked together on various electionsrelated tasks, including as teammates on the board’s election committee.

Lundberg, who plans on continuing to serve on the township’s Legacy Park and Pathways committees, among others, said Jankowski will continue several measures he moved forward during his stint as clerk.

“Some of the initiatives I got started in the clerk’s office, she’s excited about continuing on,” Lundberg added. “I focused a lot of my time on records retention, records management. The clerk is the official records person, but in the township we (divide those duties) among all the departments. At the end of the day, it’s the responsibility of the clerk to make sure that’s all running smoothly.

“We’ve also been implementing an electronic records management system. And Cyndy’s excited about

“Because it’s not a presidential election, it will be a great way to learn about all the aspects of doing an election from start to finish,” Jankowski said. “Typically, when you have an election in an off-year, that’s not a presidential election, it’s a smaller turnout. It doesn’t mean that it’s not extremely important, because obviously the district would love to have that funding approved. But it’s a great way for me to jump in, get a feel for it, work with the deputy clerk (Anderson) and our staff to better understand.”

Jankowski said her time as a school board member will prove invaluable as she begins her clerk’s duties.

“I really believe it does,” Jankowski continued. “I was appointed to the school board, similar to being appointed to the clerk’s position. But I know a lot of people in the township. I had a great opportunity to be imbedded in the district.

“Our son was in the district when I was on school board. I think it’s helped to give me a better opportunity to field questions, answer questions, look at concerns. … I think it’s given me the opportunity to be confident in whatever role I take on. And yes, I think it was a great experience for me.”