NILES — Once again, voters in Niles Township were in no mood Tuesday to pay higher taxes for law enforcement.

On a day in which they selected Niles city police officer Jim Kidwell over Kevin Tonkin and David Spurlock to succeed Bill Myers as township supervisor, they turned back a 1.5-mill tax proposal - $75 a year for the owner of a $100,000 house - 884-638.

The defeat marked at least the fourth time a request for extra taxes for police protection has been turned down over the last two decades.

Most voters interviewed at several polling sites said they had voted against the millage request. While some pointed to the cost, others were apparently under the mistaken impression the issue was somehow linked to bringing back the township Police Department that disbanded four years ago.

But there was confusion even over that assumption. Jim Fuller, 61, for example, said he voted in favor of the request because he wanted to see the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department’s current patrols continue instead of bringing back township police. But Michael Heleig, 59, said he voted against the millage for the same reason.

“I kind of like having Berrien County (Sheriff’s Department). ... I don’t want to see the local police department come back,” he said.

Others said they voted against the millage because Kidwell had argued in his campaign it wasn’t needed for police patrols to continue. Not surprisingly, they said, too, they had voted for Kidwell.

The 57-year-old Kidwell received 533 votes to 381 for Spurlock and 279 for Tonkin. The defeat will end Tonkin’s 18-year run on the board, all as a trustee.

Kidwell said he felt his honesty with township residents and his stand against the millage request were the difference in the race.

“People right now can’t afford new taxes, not with high gas prices and everything. That was a benefit to me,” he said.

Because he won’t take office until Nov. 22 and because the current board will need to set its 2009 budget prior to November, Kidwell said he plans to ask the board to start negotiating now with police agencies for “fair bids” for continued police services. He said it makes no difference whether Niles city police or the Sheriff’s Department provide the patrols.

In other township races, James Ringler will continue as treasurer after he defeated Tammy Youngs, Kidwell’s daughter, 703-473. The four trustee seats will go to incumbents Richard Noble, Richard Cooper and Ron Goodwin and newcomer Michael Bailey.

Noble polled 763 votes to 750 for Cooper and 686 for Goodwin. Bailey received 631 votes, easily outdistancing Glenn Millin who had 380 and Tony Millin who finished with 356.

Bailey’s victory was somewhat of a surprise, given his recent admission that he secretly taped a meeting he had with Myers, Ringler and Clerk Marge Durm-Hiatt. Bailey argued he had done nothing illegal and argued he taped the session only because he wanted to protect himself.

Myers, Ringler and Durm-Hiatt all said they had lost all respect for Bailey over the taping, however. Now, it appears Ringler and Durm-Hiatt will soon find themselves serving on the same panel as Bailey.

All the winning candidates are Republicans and will have no Democratic opposition in the fall. Durm-Hiatt, the lone Democrat on the ballot, may have opposition depending on the final vote tally for a write-in candidate Tuesday.