FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP – Roger Sullivan said he is running as Franklin Township supervisor to avoid “more of the same.”

“If I didn’t run, there would be no opposition,” he said. “All you have to do is put your name in a hat and you’re on the board. I wanted to give the people of the township a choice to choose a different route than the township’s been going down.”

Sullivan is running against Mary Sears, who is a trustee on the board. He said he objected to what he saw as the township spending money without the vote of the people.

“The people voted for a new fire hall,” he said. “The township spent a few hundred thousand on a township office in one of the buildings that they told the residents is beyond repair.”

Sullivan also objected to the installation of the Paavola sewer system, as well as the fee charged for it.

“Fees are proportional to what you use, and a base rate isn’t a fee, it’s a tax,” he said.

Sullivan said his goal is to “put a curb on the spending and give a voice back to the people.”

If elected, Sullivan said he would go over the books to make sure the township can afford the spending to which it’s committed itself. He also wants to make sure property tax assessments are fair.

“I was charged at a very excessive rate on my property taxes, and it took multiple complaints and going to the Board of Review to get it corrected. The main thing is to make sure the people aren’t getting taxed more than they should be.”

Sullivan has been in construction for 23 years, and a licensed residential builder for the past 10.

“I’ve worked for other contractors, and decided that it’s better to do it on my own,” he said.

Sullivan said he hopes to lead a movement.

“I need the people of the township to want change,” he said. “If they want change, I’ll give them what they want. But if I get elected, I can’t do it without a people. I need the people to attend township meetings and vote on the issues.”