Township to Appoint Brian Piper as Superintendent

At the May 14, 2026 Springfield Township Board meeting, the Board voted to approve the creation of a new Township Superintendent position.¹ The discussion came during a long meeting that ran past 10:00 p.m., and the position was presented as part of a broader effort to address township operations, staffing needs, and administrative workflow.

Less than 24 hours after that approval, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, a special meeting for the appointment of Brian Piper as Township Superintendent was posted on the township website. ²

The special meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 18, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Meeting Room at the Springfield Township Civic Center, 12000 Davisburg Road, Davisburg, MI 48350.

This meeting is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

The agenda includes three items:

1. Appointment of Brian Piper as Township Superintendent
2. Approval of the job description for Building Department Assistant
3. Public Comment

Brian Piper is currently employed Springfield Township. The January 13, 2025 minutes say the special meeting agenda was to “Discuss Assessing and Zoning Assistant Position,” and Supervisor Davis described it as a proposal to “refill the vacancy of the Assistant Zoning Director and Assistant Assessing position.” He then stated that he met with Brian Piper to discuss his “potential return to this role,” and that Brian agreed to “step back into the position.” ³

At that January 13, 2025 meeting, the Township Board voted 7–0 to authorize Supervisor Davis to rehire Brian Piper under the terms outlined in the supervisor’s memo. His listed start date was January 21, 2025.

Fast-forward sixteen months later, and Piper is listed on the May 18, 2026 special meeting agenda for appointment as Township Superintendent.

This is a significant operational change for Springfield Township. A superintendent position can affect how township administration is handled, how departments are supported, and how day-to-day township business moves forward.

The timing of this appointment process will likely raise concerns for some Springfield Township residents, particularly because the position was approved on Thursday night and a special meeting for the appointment was posted less than 24 hours later. The apparent lack of a public job posting has also lead residents to question how the candidate was selected and whether other applicants were considered.

At the same time, it is also worth noting the very real staffing and operational concerns described at Thursday night’s meeting. Treasurer Jamie Dubre appeared visibly stressed while discussing township workload and internal operations. The need to keep the township functioning is important, especially when daily operations, public services, permitting, planning, etc. all depend on staff capacity.

There are two truths that can coexist in these types of situations.

1. Springfield Township may need immediate operational support, AND…
2. Residents may have real concerns about the speed, transparency, and process used to fill a newly created leadership position.

The integrity of this process is important regardless of who is being appointed. A township may have urgent operational needs, and a candidate may be qualified, experienced, and capable. But public trust depends on residents being able to understand how a decision was made, why a particular process was used, and whether that process was fair, consistent, and transparent. In local government, the process is not separate from the outcome; it is part of what gives the outcome legitimacy.

Oko Environmental will continue tracking township updates that may affect land use, planning, public engagement, and the Ormond Road mining proposal.

1. Township Board Moves to Fill Leadership Gap During Supervisor’s Leave ↩︎
2. Springfield Township Board Special Meeting Agenda – Monday May 18, 2026 ↩︎
3. Springfield Township Board Special Meeting Minutes – January 13, 2025 ↩︎