Politics & Government
Fogler Running as Write-In For Oakland Township Supervisor
'I'm not finished yet," she says.
Oakland Township Supervisor Joan Fogler is running as a write-in candidate to try to keep the seat she lost in the August primary.
Fogler lost to Terry Gonser by 547 votes, with 31 percent of the township’s registered voters participating. Because there are no Democratic candidates, Gonser’s is the only name on the ballot.
Fogler said she filed a declaration of her intent to run as a write-in with Oakland County on Friday, the deadline for the Nov. 6 election.
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“I’m not finished yet,” she said. “I still love Oakland Township. I’ve lived here 58 years and I think I’ve done a good job.
“It was just a couple of issues that made me lose the election. … Since I’ve been supervisor, we have gotten a AAA bond rating with the state. We are one of two townships in the state, and that’s happened since I’ve been supervisor. We also have almost $6 million in reserves. And that’s happened since I’ve been supervisor.”
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Fogler said she decided to run because of what Gonser said about her during the primary campaign.
“He accused me of having too many ordinances in place, that we’re too restrictive for the residents,” she said. “But they’ve been in place for years and years.”
She said she “took it personally” when he attacked her role as a travel escort for the Rochester Older Persons Commission. “I’m a trained travel escort,” she said. “I certainly didn’t take any money from seniors.” Fogler also said she had 75 signs stolen during the primary, something that’s never happened to her before.
In addition, she said Gonser “doesn’t know about government, particularly Oakland Township government.”
She knows she faces an uphill battle. Absentee ballots have already been mailed and some people have already voted. But she’s hoping turnout, which is generally highest for a presidential election, will be in her favor.
“I’ve been on the phone telling everybody I know and they’re calling everybody they know,” she said. “I know there are a lot of emails going out about it.”
Gonser, president of the Rochester-Area Republican Club, is a newcomer to township politics. A 60-year resident, he is a retired General Motors engineer and an entrepreneur.
