SE Grand Rapids News

Tara Decker is seeking the Republican nomination to serve as Keene Township Treasurer for a four-year term. The primary election will be held on August 6.

According to Ionia County's candidate list, Decker is running in the GOP primary against Christine Hendrick.

Decker works as a bookkeeper for the 63rd District Court in Kent County. She has worked at the 63rd District Court for 22 years. She noted that from her time as a union steward, she has experience in negotiating employment contracts.

Decker told the Daily News in a Q&A that she hopes to "serve and ultimately reunite our community" if elected as treasurer. "We have suffered division of late and I would like to work towards healing the township," she said.

In a press release, Private Property Rights PAC — a political action committee whose "mission is to safeguard and promote the ownership and control of private property" — endorsed Decker, stating that she "has demonstrated a profound commitment to the principles of property rights and governance that respect the rights of individual property owners" and praising her stance against government overreach. 

Private Property Rights PAC Senior Adviser Madeline Morris expressed confidence in Decker's commitment to private property rights and government transparency and accountability, predicting that she "will help protect the foundational rights that are vital to personal freedom and economic stability" in Keene Township.

According to the Michigan Townships Association, the township treasurer's responsibilities include collecting real and personal property taxes, maintaining an account of township receipts and expenditures, and issuing township checks. Treasurers are elected to four-year terms.