By Teddy Rydquist
Leader Staff Writer
Announcing his candidacy in January, the seven months of campaigning paid off for Joe Kent on August 4.
Utilizing “Count on Kent” as one of his campaign slogans, the 29-year Addison Township resident, who possesses an Oxford mailing address, defeated Royal Oak’s Susan E. Anderson by eight-percent, 54-46, to win the Republican nomination for Oakland County Treasurer.
“We tried to make sure we didn’t leave any stone unturned in terms of being in contact with voters,” Kent shared of his Election Day activities during our interview on August 7. “Election Day, in many ways, is a lot like any other day, where you’re trying to make sure people, first, vote, and make an informed choice. There were a whole lot of phone calls, whole lot of text messages, just to make sure people did get out and vote.”
Kent previously ran for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2016, narrowly losing to current representative John Reilly by less than a quarter-of-a-percent, 50.12-49.88. He points to this instance as an event that further exemplified the importance of each individual voting and making their voice heard.
Receiving his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University in East Lansing and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Kent initially went into business for himself, finding great success through the founding of Lake Orion-based Padgett Business Services, which offers tax services, payroll bookkeeping, government compliance, and several other options for small businesses.
Most of these small businesses are in Oakland County, but the business grew to include clients in other states, as well.
Kent’s parents moved to Oakland County while he was in college, and he credits his parents and the memories created in the area as a motivating factor in his decision to enter politics.
“This is a cliché, but I care deeply about this community, and when I say this community, I’m talking about all of Oakland County,” he said. “The highlights of my life have scenes like the gazebo we’re sitting in, and I want that to be there for the future. Oakland County has a heritage of excellence; as you get older, you realize some communities, counties, states even, work a lot better and we have become accustomed, in Oakland County, to a very high standard.
“So, I looked around and thought, ‘Who’s going to maintain that standard?’ And I realized, one of the people who has grown up in the room needs to stand up and make sure that happens. In a broader sense, my parents were born in what has become known as America’s Greatest Generation, that World War II era. This ring on my finger was on my dad’s hand for 72 years, it was on his hand when he arrived on the beaches of Normandy, the Allied invasion.
“That war took a big toll on my parents, of course I wasn’t even thought of yet, but I saw that toll for the rest of their lives. I’m very proud of my parents and what they did, and they never asked for any acknowledgment or thanks.
“But the example they set for me, starting with that service, continued for their whole lives. They were always first to rise to whatever need there was in the community, serving the community. We like to think our kids learn from what they hear us say, but they really learn from what they see us do, and that’s what I saw in my parents, that deep conviction to service.
“I felt it was my turn to be more than just an informed voter.”
Kent will face Huntington Woods Democrat Robert Wittenberg in November’s election. With his nomination now secured, one of his main priorities is to continue reaching voters through his campaign messages.
“My priorities are that our county government be more open, that we place a greater emphasis on the protection of property rights, and that we secure the county’s AAA bond rating without raising taxes.
“’What does that mean?’ Well, in terms of being open, the county recently discontinued the bedrock practice of the L. Brooks Patterson administration and that bedrock practice was to issue financial disclosures of the impact to changes of the county budget.
“They called those disclosures ‘fiscal notes,’ that was the bureaucratic term. These disclosures helped not only our County Board of Commissioners, who have to vote on the day-to-day management of the county, but they also helped the public understand what the consequences were of changes that are always being made to the budget.
“That was summarily stopped. I’m going to be an advocate for reinstating it.”
The Oakland County Treasurer position, which comes with a $157,893 annual salary, has been occupied by Democrat Andy Meisner since 2008.
Meisner vacated the position to run for Oakland County Executive, announcing his candidacy in March 2019, and lost to the incumbent David Coulter in the Primary Election by a nine-percent margin, 54-45.
Coulter assumed the position in August 2019 following Patterson’s passing at the age of 80.
Kent, who is always accessible for voters and residents, has a website, electjoekent.com, for interested parties to learn more about him or contribute to his campaign.

  Joe Kent