Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


An appointment to a vacant seat on the Livingston County Veteran Services Committee was not without debate Monday night.

The board voted in favor of appointing Marco Lollio to the seat – with Commissioners Dave Domas, Roger Deaton, and Jay Gross opposed.

There was disagreement with the Personnel Committee recommendation by some commissioners, the head of Veteran Services, and others in the community.

There were some assertions that Lollio was being favored as a personal friend/acquaintance of some on the board and still very qualififed, but that applicant Kevin Denardo was the stronger candidate. There were initially three candidates but Gerald Scott Tompson did not attend interviews.

The Personnel Committee handles the appointment process, not the Veterans Committee, and voted to recommend Lollio as the nominee. There were three voting members - Commissioners Doug Helzerman, Jay Drick, and Norris Hardeman – with Dave Domas absent.

Commissioner Domas stated “I was not present due to a personal commitment that kept me from being there and had that not taken place, you might be looking at a different situation here as who we would be considering for this position”.

Board Chair Nick Fiani repeatedly referenced the “unanimous nominee” of the Personnel Committee. It wasn’t unanimous initially. Fiani stated the nomination request was 2-1 but when it came before the committee for resolution nomination approval, it was unanimous.

Helzerman later clarified his committee vote. He said he felt both candidates were highly qualified and his first nomination was for Denardo but when the committee voted 2-1, he thought it was best to have a unified front so he voted for Lollio.

Commissioner Jay Gross made a motion to amend the resolution to add Denardo for consideration – which was seconded by Domas but later withdrawn. Board Chair Nick Fiani said he would not recognize it as a proper motion, arguing it wasn’t needed and asserting all three applicants were technically under consideration, even though Lollio was the name up for approval in the resolution.

A later amendment to remove Lollio and add Denardo failed to pass, which was put forth by Commissioner Roger Deaton and supported by Gross.

Deaton is commander of the Brighton American Legion Post 235. He stated “my support is for Kevin Denardo. Both candidates are good and they’re both veterans. I’m a veteran. What I see different in Mr. Denardo is he has served and has been elected by his peers to serve them at the Milford American Legion Post…and he has done a great job at that.”

Gross pointed out that during the course of interviews, there were some questions raised about whether Lollio would have the time to make significant contributions to the board – noting his resume stated he was very busy as the owner of two businesses.

Vice Chair Jay Drick argued that future potential attendance is irrelevant under statute and not a factor.

Fiani asserted all candidates were fully vetted, thoroughly reviewed, and taken into consideration by the Personnel Committee.

Lollio’s term expires on December 31st, 2029.