The Plymouth Township Board of Trustees will soon be searching – again – for new members after Treasurer Bob Doroshewitz and Trustee Jen Buckley both announced plans this week to step down mid-term.
The announcements come on the heels of a contentious search for a new clerk that began when Jerry Vorva resigned earlier this year, leaving the board bitterly divided, angering residents and prompting candidates to withdraw after witnessing the board’s “dysfunction.”
Doroshewitz, who has been public about his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, said his decision was not related to the stormy board meetings or work environment.
“I don’t want to say as I’m retiring for health reasons because that’s the only part of the story,” he said, noting he and his wife plan to travel, spend time at the family home up north and focus on a healthy lifestyle. “It’s just time.”
At a June 23 meeting of the board, Doroshewitz said he plans to step down at the end of 2026 or early 2027, roughly halfway through his four-year term.
“I wanted to let the board know early, and now the public will know,” he said. “That will give us six months to search for the right replacement.”
Doroshewitz was first elected to the board as a trustee in 2004 and was appointed treasurer in 2022 to fill a vacancy. He was elected to the treasurer’s position in 2024.
“I’ve loved working here,” he said. “Even at its worst moments, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”
In addition to helping recruit and train a successor, Doroshewitz said he wants to stay long enough to oversee the township’s transition to a cloud-based financial software system and the distribution of winter tax bills before handing over the reins.
“I feel I have an obligation to see that project completed,” he said.
Trustee Jen Buckely announced her resignation in a June 24 letter to the board, saying she and her family are moving outside the township after finding a new home closer to their children’s school and sports activities.
The resignation is effective July 5, although she noted she could rescind it if the home sale or purchase falls through before the board formally accepts the resignation.
Buckley was appointed in 2022 – also in a combative board process – to fill the trustee seat vacated when Doroshewitz moved into the treasurer’s position.
Like Doroshewitz, Buckley said her departure is unrelated to the contentious nature of the board.
“Not at all,” she said. “It was the perfect opportunity for the perfect house…it was a golden opportunity we couldn’t pass up and we jumped on it.”
Buckley and Trustee Sandy Groth were at the center of the clerk search, with both seeking the appointment and clashing during public meetings over the selection process.
Newcomer Kim Gaedeke was ultimately appointed to the clerk’s position.
Buckley thanked the board for the “great honor of working for the betterment” of the community.
“I will take what I have learned here and maybe one day apply them again in a similar capacity in my new community,” she wrote.
The board will be tasked with appointing replacements for both Doroshewitz and Buckley. Successors who wish to remain in the position will need to seek election in 2028.
The Plymouth Township treasurer’s position currently pays an annual salary of $120,000, plus a 15% contribution to a 457(b) plan.
Plymouth Township trustees attend an average of two board meetings per month and earn $13,200 annually.
Contact reporter Laura Colvin: lcolvin@hometownlife.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Two resign in Plymouth Township board shake-up
Reporting by Laura Colvin, Hometownlife.com / Detroit Free Press
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By Laura Colvin, Hometownlife.com | USA TODAY Network
