Dave Mabry appointed as new township clerk, leaving vacant trustee position

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — Former Oakland Township Trustee Dave Mabry has been appointed by the Oakland Township Board of Trustees to serve as the township’s new clerk.

In January, former township Clerk Robin Buxar was appointed as the township’s new supervisor, after Dominic Abbate resigned, citing “personal reasons,” at the end of 2022.

Two candidates applied for the clerk position — Mabry and township resident John Markel.

Mabry was unanimously appointed as the new clerk Feb. 14, effective as of 11:59 p.m. that evening. The deadline, by law, for the board to appoint a replacement was Feb. 25.

“I am grateful for the confidence the board showed me by giving me this appointment,” Mabry said.

Mabry, who was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2020, cited his desire to give back to the community as the main reason for first getting involved in Oakland Township politics.

“I felt like I probably owed society a payback,” he said. “I’ve had a good life, and I felt like I needed to pay back for some of that. That was my main motivation.”

Mabry holds a bachelor’s degree in math from Michigan State University and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan. He worked for Chrysler/FCA/Stellantis for 42 years as an electrical engineer in the testing area of engineering before retiring. He has lived in the township since 1994 and has served on the Paint Creek Trailways Commission and the township’s Election Commission. Mabry also volunteers as a rescue diver for various boat races in Michigan, Ohio and Florida, and is an avid scuba diver.

Buxar said she “highly supports” the appointment.

“Dave was elected by the residents, so the residents have already chosen him to sit on this board,” she said. “He has an extremely even temperament. He is open and willing to learn just about anything and everything. He has no preconceived bias or anything, which is really nice, and he wants to hear what everyone says and do the right thing.”

Mabry also has a head start with elections, Buxar noted, because he has served on the Election Commission.

“He helped me a ton during the last election. … He was involved in the certification of the machines and everything, so he is already well on his track for what I found to be a big slice of the election department,” she noted.

Trustee John Giannangeli said it has been “a pleasure” working with Mabry as a trustee on the board thus far.

“He has been on the board going on two years and he has demonstrated that he does his research on all the board items. While we might disagree in some cases, I think it is pretty clear that he has the best interest of the township at heart. He was duly elected by the residents, so given that, and his impressive resume, I support his nomination to fill the position of clerk,” Giannangelli added.

Mabry’s appointment now leaves a vacancy for the position of board trustee.

All board members and township residents who wish to be considered for the position of trustee had to submit their application by email or in person by 4 p.m. Feb. 22, which was after press time. To be considered, an applicant must be a township resident for at least 30 days, 18 years or older and a U.S. citizen.

“We have received a couple (of applications) already,” Buxar said during the Feb. 14 meeting. “We will be deciding at our next meeting and, hopefully, we will be back to a full board.”

For more information, visit the Charter Township of Oakland offices at 4393 Collins Road, visit oaklandtownship.org or call (248) 651-4440.