Incumbents keep council positions

SPARTA - In a tight election with low voter turnout, incumbents Scott Seelagy and Douglas Martin of the Sparta township council have once again been asked by voters to serve the people of Sparta. Elected to four-year terms, both men were faced with stiff competition from Dennis O'Brien and Ross Richardson for the two vacant positions. In fact, O'Brien lost to Martin by only 11 votes. There was a 7.83 percent voter turnout for the election. "We normally get between 15 and 20 percent turnout for a municipal election, so this was very low," said Municipal Clerk Miriam Tower. In a recent written interview with The Sparta Independent, both incumbents stated that the budget was one of the most important issues facing the township. "I pledge to ensure that we invest in this town in a cost effective fashion," said Martin. "This means obtaining state and federal grants whenever possible, seeking shared services with the school and other towns to save dollars." Seelagy, who received the highest number of votes, said that he will "negotiate and vote for fiscally conservative budgets, which would eliminate wasteful spending on programs and items that are not a necessary function of local government." He added that he will concentrate on property taxes, and the development of the town center in the near future. Scott Seelagy 479 Douglas Martin 408 Dennis O'Brien 397 Ross Richardson 359 * 7.83% voter turnout