By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Howard Township residents who go to the polls Nov. 2 will have to choose four of the six candidates for the Howard Township Board of Trustees and one of the two candidates for the position of township treasurer.
Incumbent treasurer Amy Archer, a Democrat, is seeking her first full term. She was elected treasurer during the Dec. 15 special election to replace recalled officials.
Former Howard Township treasurer, Eileen Glick, was removed after the Howard Township Taxpayers Watchdog Group forced a recall of township officials.
Archer will face Republican Shaune M. Timm, whom she defeated in the special election on Dec. 15.
Amy Archer
Archer, 33, has been a life long resident of Niles and graduated from Niles High School in 1989.
She was elected to the position of Howard Township treasurer after the previous treasurer, Glick, was unseated in the recall. Before the election, Archer working as a deputy treasurer in the township.
Archer feels the township has been turned in the right direction since the recall.
Archer and her husband, Tim, have four children, Christopher, 15, Zackary, 13, Jacob, 11, Emily, 10, and currently live in Howard Township.
Shaune M. Timm
Timm, 35, has grown up immersed by the Howard Township government. Her father was township supervisor and her mother was township clerk.
From 1987 to 1994, Timm worked for the Howard Township Police Department, where she assisted the chief in managing the department budget.
She also served as secretary of the Howard Township Parks Board in 2000 and 2001.
Timm said she hadn't planned to run for the position again, but she feels the township needs people with no ties to the recalled township government.
Timm and her husband, Adam, have two children, Casey Cochran, 10, and Bailee, five months, and live in Howard Township.
Howard Township voters will choose from two incumbent trustees, George C. Johnson and Mike Richmond, both who survived the Dec. 15 special election. Voters will also choose from Republican newcomers Shelby L. Farmer and Irving Frost, Jr., and Democratic newcomers Emery L. Hirschler and William A. Wozniak.
George C. Johnson
Johnson, 60, is seeking a third term as Howard Township Trustee and thinks his experience at the position will be a great asset to the township if he is re-elected.
He has worked as a volunteer in the Howard Township Fire Department for 31 years and currently works as a custodian for Niles Community Schools.
A life-long resident of Howard Township, Johnson and his wife, Phyllis, have three children, two who live in Niles.
Mike Richmond
Richmond, 65, is the second of two incumbent trustees on the Nov. 2 ballot. Richmond has been a trustee for six years and feels his experience and past record qualify him for another term as trustee.
He said he supports the police and fire departments, and feels the township parks board has done a great job renovating the parks.
Richmond said he is not in favor of raising taxes and the board must work hard to watch how the money is spent.
Richmond and his wife, Erma, live in Howard Township and have four children, three who live in the township.
Irving Frost, Jr.
Frost, 71, served as Howard Township supervisor from 1984 to 1990, when he resigned to take the position of Cass County Commissioner.
Frost feels he can bring a good amount of experience to the board and thinks he will be able to help the board balance the township budget.
A long-time resident of Howard Township, Frost lives with his wife, Dorothy. They have two children who both live in Howard Township.
Shelby Farmer
Farmer, 35, is seeking a position on the Howard Township Board of Trustees in an effort to become more active in local government.
She began attending board of trustee meetings in the summer of 2000 and has been active in the community ever since.
Farmer said she thinks that Howard Township supervisor Michael Sutherland has done a good job in his position and that the board of trustees has not supported him they way she feels they should have.
Farmer, a Howard Township resident since 1997, lives with her husband Mark. They have two children, Morgan, 15, and Matthew, 9.
Emery L. Hirschler
Hirschler, 63, feels his experience as vice president of marketing and advertising at the South Bend Tribune during his 40 years there will aid him in the position as trustee.
Hirschler, a South Bend Rotary Club member since 1973, was just elected to his third term as President of the Barron Lake Housing Association.
Hirschler has owned a home in Howard Township for nine years, and has lived in the township full time for three years. He lives with his wife, Judith.
William E. Wozniak
Wozniak, 59, helped petition for the recall of Howard Township officials in 2003. He said he felt the people working in the township did not do a good job.
Wozniak said he's an honest man who doesn't believe in wasteful spending. If elected, he'll work to keep the township running within its budget while remaining true to his convictions.
He has worked at Honeywell, formerly Allied Signal, for 29 years.
He is a life-long resident of Niles and lives with his wife of 34 years, Sheri.