EWING TOWNSHIP: Local township clerk earns Township Governance Academy credential

By Press release submission

Sep 20, 2018

Ewing Township issued the following announcement on Sept. 12.

Otisco Township (Ionia Co.) Clerk Lynda Sower has taken the next step to enhance the effectiveness of her township. With her completion of the Michigan Townships Association’s (MTA) intensive Township Governance Academy (TGA), Sower now has access to enhanced tools and decision-making processes that will help shape her community for years to come.

Clerk Lynda Sower accepting award at Conference

Sower has earned MTA’s coveted TGA credential and hopes to work with her board to keep up with the latest laws and rules and stay connected with MTA.

“It took time and devotion to get all the work done to graduate at this time,” Sower said. “I am very serious about my job and doing all I can for our township. It’s like graduating from high school—I have a warm fuzzy feeling and I’m proud of myself. Not bad for an older woman!”

TGA is a voluntary credentialing program intended to provide township board members and other local leaders with cutting-edge knowledge and expanded skills needed to assist in making more effective decisions for the benefit of their township. The Academy, which challenges candidates to tie together learning and practical experience, consists of 11 courses and includes a requirement for elective credits.

Created and administered by the MTA Knowledge Center, this program is designed to professionally challenge township officials by offering new ideas, sharing best practices and providing a hands-on approach to dealing more effectively with everyday issues that the board may face. Sower says completing the program has given her a better understanding of the board’s roles and helped her to do a good job for the community’s residents.

Sower was elected clerk in 2012 after four years of serving as the township’s deputy treasurer. She was also an alternate for the township’s board of review from 2009 to 2012. Previously, she served on the Belding School Board from 1982 to 1986. She’s currently on the board of directors for a local social club and helps at the local community hall for a variety of functions.

Original source can be found here.