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NILES CHARTER TOWNSHIP — A new leader was at the helm during Monday’s Niles Charter Township Board of Trustees meeting.

After serving the Niles Charter Township community for parts of five decades, Marge Durm-Hiatt is ready to take another challenge as the new Township Supervisor. After wrapping up her first meeting as township supervisor Monday, she is excited to get started.

“It’s been fun catching up on stuff,” she said. “I’ve been a trustee, I’ve been a clerk and now this, so I’m very familiar with the running of the township. It was a busy day, but it was good. It’s fun to be back.”

As a township supervisor, Durm-Hiatt is responsible for deciding issues of public safety, spending, growth management, zoning, roads and streets, code enforcement, environment and how to budget it. 

“It’s a lot of catching up on stuff,” she said. “The whole board has filled in but we needed some stability. I want people to know what’s going on, not just us out here at the township. If you’ve got complaints, if you’ve got concerns, come in and talk to whatever department you’d like.”

Durm-Hiatt believes the township has potential it has yet to tap into.

“This township is so diverse,” she said. “South township is this business strip and the rest of it is much more rural, big acreage and not high density. As far as I know, we’re the largest municipality in the county.”

Durm-Hiatt said she would like to continue the pursuit of a new township hall and address short-term rentals and voting centers within the township. In addition, she would like to establish a better working relationship with the City of Niles.

“I don’t think we work enough with the city, you know,” she said. “I don’t know if that will change or not. We get along fine but we don’t have a real relationship outside of the fire departments. But I would like to see that happen. I’m pretty hyped to get going here.”