Grand Haven Charter Township is one of 1,242 townships in Michigan. 133 of these townships are charter townships that offer some additional authority to the Board and allow the Board to hire a chief executive officer that is referred to as a superintendent.
A seven-member elected Board governs Grand Haven Charter Township. This board consists of an elected supervisor, clerk, treasurer and four trustees. All of the members of the Board are elected during the presidential elections every four years. All of these positions are considered part-time, although all of the elected officials devote many hours to the governance of the township.
Populations for townships range from a low of 17 to 98,000. Only 91 townships in Michigan have populations above 10,000. About one-half of these townships have hired professional managers. Grand Haven Township is one of the townships that have selected a full-time superintendent.