Scott Martin was confirmed as a member of the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees by a 5-1 vote Tuesday.

Martin, selected from a field of 19 candidates, fills the position vacated earlier this year by Dee Sizemore.

“When you had the talent pool that you have here, including 18 individuals who all have a background in Ypsilanti Township, and are all professionals - it’s an honor that they selected me and trust me to work with this township and for the residents,” Martin said.

The township board also accepted Martin’s resignation as the Ypsilanti Township Parks commissioner. Martin, currently the Scio Township utility director, also worked with the Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority for 24 years. He also serves on the township’s Water Advisory Commission.

Martin said his experience in Scio Township and at the YCUA would prove beneficial to the board.

“I understand the dynamics of what (the board) is going through,” he said “I’ve worked with a very professional group in Scio, and, much like this group, they’re all seeing the monies go away. We all need to work together to figure out how we can preserve them.”

Martin said he wants to see the township cleaned up and more attractive to businesses - particularly along older segments on Michigan and Washtenaw avenues. He said he remembers days in Ypsilanti Township when “you couldn’t get a tee time at the golf course” and he believes it can prosper like that again.

“We have to enhance the township, get rid of the blight and bring in the new business,” he said. “We ask for no more than to be able to compete with other towns to get these businesses back, and I think I can help in that respect.”

Sizemore announced she would resign in January to recover from surgery and the passing of her husband of 61 years. After the township accepted her resignation, candidates were asked to submit resumes and invited to speak to the board at its Feb. 15 meeting.

Trustees Mike Martin and Jean Hall Currie each voiced support for other candidates, and Hall Currie voted against Scott Martin. Supervisor Brenda Stumbo she thought Scott Martin do well on the board.

“Scott Martin brings five years of experience from Scio Township, and when he said he can hit the ground running, that’s exactly what he can do,” she said.

Tom Perkins is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach The News desk at 734-623-2530. For more Ypsilanti stories, see our Ypsilanti page.