Kathy Spiegel settling in to Sharon Township supervisor position

Kathy Spiegel, Sharon Township’s new supervisor, has lived in the township for 28 years and has served in several capacities on the township board and planning commission.

by Marsha Chartrand

Everyone knows that the best-laid plans don’t always work out exactly as we expect them to, but overall, Kathy Spiegel seems content with the way things have transpired over the past year since she “retired” from township work after several years of heading the Sharon Township planning commission, hoping for a quieter time to pursue her many home-based hobbies, including her chickens and bees.

But she’s now in the driver’s seat following the resignation of longtime supervisor Peter Psarouthakis, who announced in June that he would be moving out of the township.

“This seemed like the best thing for the township, because I’d been involved for such a long time,” she explains. “Over a total of 13 years, I’d served as trustee twice — once to fill the position after a resignation; also, my husband was a trustee, and when he passed away from bladder cancer in 2014 the board named me to fill his position. Then I served on planning commission; during a great part of that time I was also the board’s secretary and/or chair.

“And no one else was willing to step forward. In the best of all possible worlds, in the next year or so we’ll find someone who is willing to learn the ropes, that we can groom to take over after me.”

Spiegel acknowledged that as the township grows, the position will become less attractive or accessible for younger people who work a full-time job. That’s why she’s grateful for the groundwork left by her predecessor, and she hopes to continue to update systems and infrastructure for the township to make the job more manageable for whoever succeeds her in the future.

“I don’t think we’d want to go back to having a supervisor who didn’t do as thorough of a job as Peter,” she says. “He brought us to a new level, really. As the owner of his own business, he had flexible timing. He serves as my role model.”

Psarouthakis is currently serving as Spiegel’s deputy and continues to provide updates, background, and assistance regarding the Stoneco lawsuit over the permit that the township denied last summer for a 400-acre mine in the township. “That’s one of the biggest challenges we still face,” Spiegel says. “Peter has been such a huge help because he’s so familiar with it.”

Spiegel is also looking forward to the township getting internet access as the fiber-optic network extends through the county, as it will help the citizens, and the township as a whole, move into the 21st century and be able to do things like pay taxes online and have better communication between residents and the board.

“Getting to know the people in Sharon Township who are not just my immediate neighbors has been one of the best things about being involved on the board,” she says. “There’s a lot more to it, of course. It’s at times satisfying, sometimes overwhelming. … We do office hours every Thursday, and each week it seems something new comes up.

“Roads are always a big thing. Residents on Prospect Hill Road had an issue with the road becoming very dangerous. Jackson County is responsible for the road. I encouraged residents to call in their concerns, but I also called. Some people felt that it was my call that made a difference.”

Another learning experience came when a family wanted to place a family cemetery on their property. Spiegel learned that this is allowed by state law, but nowhere is it mentioned in township ordinances other than that it requires a special land use application.

“Peter was always pushing us to update our ordinances and codify them,” she explains. “There’s always something brand new to look into!”

Her family includes a stepson, Jon, in Ypsilanti; a stepdaughter, Emily, in Providence, R.I.; and a young “Gal Friday” who helps her keep her life, home, and business organized. Although her former life included higher education at Duke and Cornell and a distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry, Kathy sometimes feels that she might have missed another calling.

“I do really love and I think I’d have enjoyed farming,” she says. With her chickens, bees, fruit trees, a horse (boarded in Sharon Township), three dogs, and three cats, plus her many hobbies, perhaps she would have.

And maybe she was cut out to be a township supervisor, after all.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.