Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Voters in Marion Township elected a new supervisor in Tuesday’s election.

In the Republican race for supervisor seat, candidate Bill Fenton defeated Gary Dunn. There were no Democratic challengers. Longtime Supervisor Bob Hanvey did not run again for the supervisor post but did run for a seat on the board.

Per un-official results, Fenton received 1,003 votes and Dunn 804.

Incumbent Clerk Tammy Beal and Treasurer Sandy Donovan both ran un-opposed
There was a crowded field of 10 Republican candidates running for the Board of Trustees. The top four include incumbents Dan Lowe, Les Andersen, Scott Lloyd, along with Jim Witkowski. They’ll join Democrat Tim Hughes on the ballot in November.

Fenton told WHMI he’s excited but it doesn’t feel like it’s really sunk in yet and seems sort-of surreal.

Fenton is well known throughout the community having retired from the Howell Area Fire Department in 2021 as a lieutenant. He’s also an ordained minister and performs free wedding services for couples on Valentine’s Day.
Fenton said he started meeting with Hanvey earlier in the year to try and get a feel for what the supervisor job entailed before making a decision to run for office. He said Hanvey has been extremely helpful, saying he’s “a wealth of information and doesn’t forget a thing” - adding he was truly hoping that Hanvey would have secured a seat on the board.

Fenton said he decided to run for the same reason he was on the fire department and does free weddings - he just loves helping people. Fenton said he wants people to be “neighborly and friendly to each other, get along, and work together as a community to make it a place everyone loves to be in”.

When it comes to issues of interest, Fenton said the hot topic of the year is solar projects. He said he’s against solar and has made it very clear that he doesn’t think it’s right for the community. Fenton said people moved to the area for the rural atmosphere and he doesn’t want to look at solar panels and windmills when driving down the road.

Fenton further noted he plans to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to talking with residents and neighbors about any issues and ordinance violations.

All results are un-official until certified by the Livingston County Board of Canvassers. That’s not expected to happen until next week due to recent legislative changes.