By Matthew Hutchison / news@whmi.com

Genoa Township Supervisor Kevin Spicher is endorsing Rick Soucy for township clerk in the Aug. 4 Republican primary.

Soucy, who was appointed clerk last November after former Clerk Janene Deaton resigned, is seeking election to a full term. He faces Republican challengers Candie Hovarter, a Genoa Township trustee, and resident Debbie McCormick.

In a social media post, Spicher said he will be voting to retain Soucy, saying Soucy was the “only township trustee” to step forward when Deaton resigned and interview for the position “at a time when the township needed stability.”

Since Soucy’s appointment, Spicher said Soucy has rebuilt staffing in the clerk’s office, streamlined processes and improved service for residents. He also credited Soucy with pursuing the training and education needed to handle the broad responsibilities of the clerk’s office, including election administration, recordkeeping, public notices, agendas and minutes, licensing and other statutory duties.

Spicher said Soucy “brings integrity, professionalism and a steady hand” to the office, while also working well with residents, township staff and the Board of Trustees.

In an interview with WHMI, Spicher said Soucy has stabilized the clerk’s office for the people of Genoa Township and praised the “excellent” staff who have done a great job administering elections, including the May 5 special election.

“I really feel he is the best choice to continue operating the clerk’s department in Genoa Township,” Spicher said. “We needed some stability and Rick voluntarily gave up his trustee seat to become the clerk, and he did that for the people of Genoa and I think he’s done a great job in representing them.”

Soucy, who is the former CEO of a chemical company and a former partner of Zoom Media, cited his managerial abilities in bringing stability to the role.

“I am pleased to receive the endorsement from our township supervisor — Kevin is very aware of my abilities and duties and responsibilities of the position,” Soucy said. “I’m looking forward to retaining my seat as the clerk. This is not a position for the faint of heart — it requires a lot of education, a lot of knowledge. There are 29 statutory duties of the clerk, and 19 of them have nothing to do with the elections. So the role has a lot more to it than administering elections.”

Soucy also pointed to his record in saving the township money since his appointment.

“In 2024, the township paid $24,000 to a third party to certify and test all of our election equipment,” Soucy said. “We’ve been able to do that in house and certify all of our equipment for all three of the elections this year for less than $2,000.”

Soucy’s opponents include current Genoa Township Trustee Candie Hovarter, who also serves as outreach director for Meals on Wheels, and Debbie McCormick, a 30-year Genoa Township resident, former member of the Howell School Board and previous election inspector.

Hovarter said she was “not surprised” by Spicher’s endorsement.

“When I ran, I ran to cut wasteful spending, and they’re not that way,” said Hovarter. “I’ve been taking classes, and no clerk that has ever worked there has gone in there with experience. You just learn on the job, and the Livingston County Clerk’s Office is vested in having everyone be up to speed and they conduct classes as well. And like I said, I’m voting to keep the spending down, I have a lot of integrity with that kind of thing, I’m great with people, I’m good with numbers. I think I can do it. If he can do it, I can do it and the clerk should be elected by the constituents of Genoa Township and not appointed by certain members of the board.”

McCormick said she applied for the clerk’s position when Deaton resigned. She also said she also was “not surprised” by Spicher's endorsement of Soucy and questioned the environment that led to Deaton's resignation less than a year into the job.

“The biggest problem I have is we have a board that obviously doesn’t function well and the people that are on it didn’t function as a unit obviously because we lost our clerk in less than one year and that has to do with the people on the board,” said McCormick, who pledged she would be a “servant” for Genoa Township residents. “When we have the longest-serving clerk for 38 years and we can’t even keep one for less than a year with the new board, that says a lot.”

The winner of the Republican primary is expected to face Democrat Matthew McClanahan, who is running unopposed for his party’s nomination, in the November general election.