Biography
Garth J. Christie is a life-long resident of Redford and an honor graduate from Thurston High School, the University of Michigan Dearborn (B.A., and Wayne State University (J.D.). He is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Michigan.
Garth enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served as a Judge Advocate and an Adjutant in the infantry. He retired from the reserves at the rank of Captain and is a member of the VFW Post 345 and American Legion Post 271 in Redford Township.
1996 to 2000: Trustee - Redford Township Board
Eight years on the Zoning Board of Appeals gave Garth Christie a solid background in zoning and planning issues. Consequently, when he was elected as a Trustee, he was appointed the Board's representative to the Planning Commission.
2000 to 2024: Garth J. Christie's 6th term as Township Clerk. Garth began serving as Township Clerk on November 20, 2000. In 2004 he was re-elected to the Clerk's office with the largest percentage of all township offices with 98.4% of the vote, 98.32% in 2008, 98.44% in 2012, 98.22% in 2016, and 92% of the vote in 2020. Consistently, he has received the highest votes for any township office. His goals for the Clerk's office have been: To create and expand "Avenues of Access" to public information, to promote community participation in local government, and to simplify and re-organize the Township's record-keeping system through the use of technologies. In 2020 LIVE Streaming of Township Board meetings was made available on the township website. With the passing of No Reason Absentee in 2018, the Clerk's Office maintains a permanent Absentee Ballot Application mailing list, and a link to apply to be placed on this list is on the website.
In February 2003, Clerk Christie was awarded his Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) designation. In October 2006, he passed his final exam for the University of Wisconsin Extension course on parliamentary procedure and is now a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians. The Michigan Township Association honored Clerk Christie with the Township Governance Academy Credential at their Education Conference in Detroit, Michigan, in January of 2007 with its own Board of Trustees congratulating him with a proclamation the following month. On December 1, 2009, Garth J. Christie was awarded the designation of Master Municipal Clerk by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks.
Garth's goals remain the same; to continue to improve his department, the township government, and his community through activism and fiscal responsibility.
Professional Occupation
Township Clerk
Other Organizations
- Redford Aldersgate United Methodist Church
- State Bar of Michigan
- Veterans of Foreign Wars
Education
- Lee M. Thurston High School
- University of Michigan - Dearborn
- Wayne State University Law School
Goals for Township: Safe neighborhoods, smooth roads, fun parks, and thriving businesses.
Length of Township Residency: Since 1954
Hobbies: His dog Autobahn, camping, hiking, kayaking/canoeing, and swimming
Favorite Political Leader or Role Model: His Dad, Don O. Christie because "he always placed the best interests of Redford first".