Tehkummah mayor hosts public meeting, shares deep concerns with state of affairs

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Tehkummah mayor hosts public meeting, shares deep concerns with state of affairs

Tehkummah Mayor John Deforge warned residents of a potential municipal office closure, financial discrepancies, and a proposed 9% tax hike driven by interim clerk E4M. Deforge urged ratepayers to question council.

Tom Sasvari

Aug 04, 2026 - 6 min read

John Deforge, right in photo, hosted a meeting last week with residents of the township to discuss among many other concerns, the township’s financial situation.

Tehkummah mayor hosts public meeting, shares deep concerns with state of affairs — John Deforge, right in photo, hosted a meeting last week with residents of the township to discuss among many other concerns, the township’s financial situation.

TEHKUMMAH—A packed Tehkummah Community Hall saw local residents urged by township Mayor John Deforge to bring concerns raised about council’s actions, the hiring of Peggy Young-Lovelace of Expertise for Municipalities (E4M) as interim township clerk and the current fiscal situation the township is in to council members individually after he updated ratepayers on the possibility of greatly reduced office hours including the possibility of a municipal office closure. He also outlined the township budget does not need to be increased this year.

“Have you posed all the questions and concerns you have raised here tonight to council?” one resident asked at the meeting.

“All of these questions I’ve already asked of council,” stated Mayor Deforge. “You (as residents/taxpayers) are my last option.”