Graham Jaehnig/Daily Mining Gazette Grant Township resident and past Township Supervisor Meg Vivian North was sworn into her old position on Thursday, replacing former supervisor Scott Ochodnicky, who was sworn in as the new Township Clerk.

GRANT TOWNSHIP — Grant Township Supervisor Scott Ochodnicky was appointed to the position of township clerk during a special meeting of the Grant Township Board Thursday morning.

Ochodnicky replaced former clerk Stacia Lynn, who resigned last week. She replaced Greg Lis, who resigned in February. His resignation was immediately followed by that of Deputy Clerk Cheryl Ochodnicky. The township then advertised for a new clerk and at a Feb. 23 special meeting appointed Lynn as the new Township Clerk.

Meg Vivian North was appointed as the new township supervisor in a unanimous decision of the board.

Vivian North held the position previously. She stepped down 16 years ago, she said, when she accepted a teaching position in the CLK School District. In a prepared statement, she praised the performances of each of the board members, particularly Ochodnicky.

“His attention to detail and commitment to building up our Maintenance Department — through the lens of a former supervisor — leaves me in awe of what he has accomplished in a relatively short period,” Vivian North said. “Having his expertise and experience would be a great help and present a smooth transition.”

The turnover follows a string of resignations over the past three years, starting when Ken Stigers resigned as Supervisor in 2021, followed by Scott Wendt the next Supervisor who resigned in the spring of 2022.

Board Trustee Art Davis said he and fellow trustee Ned Huwatschek are nearing the end of their fourth term on the Township Board, having served for the past 16 years. Davis has also served as deputy clerk prior to his running for his position as trustee.

“We’ve worked through a lot over the years,” Davis said. “We’ve seen all of the officers’ positions turn over at least once — and even multiple times.”

The posts involve a huge, time-consuming task with a large learning curve, Davis said, requiring multiple certifications and on-going training and education in addition to the basic accounting duties required of the clerk position.

Davis said that in multiple talks with other board members, including former trustees from years ago, and also sought documentation regarding the turnover. He has also read township emails and correspondences related to more recent issues concerning resignations.

“I don’t agree with the actions that led up to the resignations of our most recent township clerks,” said Davis. “I also do not agree with the most recent actions taken by the former deputy clerk after these resignations occurred.”

Davis said that both the former clerk and the former deputy clerk are both qualified for the positions, adding that he feels the issues could have been resolved “a while ago,” and that both sides could have handled the situation much better than they did.

“I do not like the place that we are in here today,” he said, “and we need to move forward from this and get back on track.”

That is what Vivian North said is her goal for the township and the board after she was sworn in as the supervisor, which includes increased accessibility.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to make any promises that there will never be communication breakdowns again,” she said in addressing the audience. “But what I can assure you is that as supervisor, that is something that I don’t let sit unsettled. I work very hard to get people to get people to the places they need to get to in order to have a conversation, a hard conversation, and I feel confident in the people that I’m sitting her with that they’re going to follow my lead on that.”