The churn at Plymouth Township Hall is not letting up. Two key officials have now announced midterm exits, adding fresh drama to an already tense board. Treasurer Bob Doroshewitz says he will leave office by late 2026 or early 2027, and Trustee Jen Buckley has turned in a resignation that takes effect July 5. The board will have to appoint interim replacements to serve until the next regular election.
Doroshewitz has served on the township board for more than two decades, first elected as a trustee in 2004 and later moving into the treasurer’s office after an appointment in 2022. He then won election to the treasurer’s seat in 2024, according to local election returns and township records. ClickOnDetroit reported the 2024 results, and township meeting documents outline the 2022 reshuffling that moved him into the treasurer role.
Both departures were detailed this week in letters and public comments. Doroshewitz told The Detroit News that his decision is not tied to “stormy board meetings or the work environment.” He said he plans to stay long enough to shepherd the township’s move to cloud-based financial software and see through the mailing of winter tax bills. Buckley, who was appointed to the trustee seat in 2022 to fill the vacancy created when Doroshewitz became treasurer, submitted a resignation letter stating that her family is moving out of the township and that she will leave the board in early July, according to The Detroit News.
How the Board Will Fill the Seats
Under township procedure, the board of trustees appoints replacements to serve out the remainder of the terms. Appointees who want to keep the jobs must then stand for election when the current terms expire, which reporting shows will be in 2028. Bluewater Health & Living (republishing HometownLife coverage) has noted that appointed township officials typically must run at the next regularly scheduled election for that seat.
Compensation for the posts is not trivial for a community-level gig. Township records put the treasurer’s base salary at $120,000 a year, with trustees receiving roughly $13,200 annually as a stipend, according to a board packet from Plymouth Township.
What Brought Tensions to a Head
The resignations follow weeks of combative meetings and a prolonged dispute over the township clerk’s position. That earlier fight left the former clerk on the payroll even after stepping away from the job and sparked emotional testimony from residents frustrated by the stalemate. Coverage originally published by HometownLife and republished on AOL captured the tense mood in the meeting room and the board’s struggle to reach agreement, context that helps explain the scrutiny now trailing the latest departures. HometownLife via AOL detailed that clerk controversy and the public reaction.
For the moment, township leaders plan to advertise the openings and review applicants at upcoming meetings. Trustees typically meet twice a month, and residents can track agendas and meeting packets on the township’s website for information on how to apply and when decisions might be made. As The Detroit News has reported, the board is expected to name interim appointees. Those appointees will have to win voter approval at the next election for the seat, a requirement also outlined by Bluewater Health & Living. Whether these pending picks calm the waters or simply shift the fault lines at township hall will play out in the meetings ahead.
