CASSOPOLIS — With a majority of eight votes in the first round Thursday night, Pete Fournier of Porter Township was selected to succeed 30-year veteran Robert Powers of Marcellus on the Cass County Road Commission. Chairman Robert Ziliak, Debbie Johnson, Cathy Goodenough, Gordon Bickel, Charlie Arnold, Carl Higley Sr., Dixie Ann File and E. Clark Cobb backed Fournier after the Board of Commissioners conducted 15-minute  interviews with five candidates, who also included Julius DeCocq, Dane Hildebrecht, Richard L. Peck and Harry S. Shaffer.

Five commissioners, Ed Goodman, Bill Steele, Vice Chairman Ron Francis, Johnie Rodebush and Robert Wagel, supported Shaffer, of Penn Township. Two other votes, Minnie Warren and David Taylor, elected earlier this week to chair the Cass County Democratic Party, went to Peck, of Ontwa Township.

Fournier retired in 2006 and returned to this area after 35 years in Arizona during a 40-year career in the construction industry, including roads and bridges.

In other business, the county commission committed a $215,146.95 bequest from the estate of “longtime supporters” Phillip Frederick Molica and Gloria Caroline LaPointe to Cass County Animal Control. Director Mike Grice made a presentation on the 2,000-square-foot wing Animal Control wants to add to the 1997 shelter on M-62 East near the Sheriff’s Office.

“One problem we’re running into,” Grice said, “is the shift in our state where we’re handling more cats than dogs, and we’re obsolete for cats,” of which there were 7,510 felines and 6,053 canines brought in 2005-2010. “We do not have the space needed for the number of cats we’re handling and state requirements are changing,” Grice said.

By their vote, commissioners agreed not to use any of the estate for operating revenue, but only to improve Animal Control.

The 15 commissioners and three members-elect taking office next month — Roseanne Marchetti, Skip Dyes and Dale Lowe — ended the night in closed session reviewing the top five prospects from the second administrator/controller search for Terry Proctor’s replacement.