Your Leelanau County 2014 election guide
From staff reports
With important races looming for United States Congress, the Michigan House of Representatives and the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners (all politics is local!) the Glen Arbor Sun reached out to candidates on both sides of the political aisle and asked questions about important local issues, prior to the November 4 election.
Scroll down to read highlights from some of those interviews. Follow the links for the full interviews with: U.S. Congressman Dan Benishek (Republican) and his challenger, Democrat Jerry Cannon; Tom Stobie, who is challenging incumbent Ray Franz for the 101st Michigan House (Franz declined to respond); Leelanau County Commission incumbent Peachy Rentenbach (who represents Glen Arbor, Empire and Cleveland Townships) and her challenger Bob Hawley; Commissioner Melinda Lautner (Kasson and Solon Townships) and her challenger John O’Neill, and greater Leelanau County challengers Dave Barrons, Patricia Soutas-Little and Ty Wessell.
Three incumbent Commissioners who face challenges in November (Debra Rushton, Tom Van Pelt and Karen Zemaitis) declined to respond to our questions. The current Board of Commissioners (six of seven are Republican: Rentenbach is the lone Democrat) have faced a barrage of media and public criticism over the past two years after they disbanded Leelanau’s Economic Development Corporation and have been accused of shunning attempts to generate jobs or affordable housing for the County. Critical coverage in the Traverse City Record-Eagle (and several downstate papers including Crain’s Detroit Business) prompted the husband of an incumbent commissioner to verbally assault a Record-Eagle reporter. The partisan atmosphere is heated. Republican Commissioners recently refused to take part in a debate organized by the nonpartisan Leelanau League of Women Voters.
Over the past two years, the Glen Arbor Sun has covered issues relevant to the upcoming election in November for Leelanau County Commission, State House and U.S. Congress: those topics include economic development and jobs, affordable housing and transportation, immigration, climate change, gay rights and education.
Here are some highlights from that coverage:
Climate change/environment
• How climate change will affect Sleeping Bear Dunes, Sept. 30, 2014
• Will climate change kill the Michigan cherry? July 25, 2012
Gay rights
• Marriage equality in Northern Michigan, Sept. 17, 2014
Immigration
• Who’s to blame for stalled immigration reform, Sept. 2, 2014
• Fruit everywhere, but who will pick it? How our broken immigration system hurts Leelanau County farmers, Nov. 13, 2013
Business and economic development
• New Glen Arbor, new Master Plan, Aug. 27, 2014
• Leelanau County Business Grant Program awards $19,000 to area businesses, February 11, 2014
• Trusted weatherman Dave Barron seeks “balance” for Leelanau County Commission, January 31, 2014
• Grocer’s Daughter: “a sweet little business” grows under new owners, July 17, 2013
• Baabaazuzu reaps benefits of economic investment, June 25, 2013
• Economic investment, community resilience, save 10th annual Empire Asparagus Festival, May 17, 2013
Affordable housing
• A place called home: paths to affordable ownership in Leelanau, August 14, 2014
• A place called home: Leelanau’s need for affordable housing, July 31, 2014
• Serving and protecting Cedar, Sept. 3, 2013
Our coverage this election season focuses, in particular, on the County Commission races. Here are highlights from our candidate interviews:
Peachy Rentenbach (County Commissioner representing Glen Arbor, Empire and Cleveland townships, challenged by Bob Hawley):
“I voted to retain the Economic Development Corporation. I believe that the corporate structure could have been of benefit. The (negative press) attention was deserved. Leelanau County needs a plan for economic development.”
“We need to provide more funds to Leelanau Clean Water to protect our greatest natural resource. The watershed has to be protected. Septic inspection upon sale has been authorized in Empire Village and Glen Arbor Township. The entire County should embrace these inspections.”
Bob Hawley (challenging Rentenbach):
“The Leelanau County EDC had a long record of ineffective performance. It had been over 25 years since it helped with financing for Lake States Insurance building in Elmwood Twp. The Leelanau County Chamber is much better equipped to provide the kind of economic support and help our small businesses need.”
“Leelanau County has had the good fortune to have solid, conservative leadership from its County Commission over the years and while many of our neighbors struggle with failing infrastructure and financial deficits we are on solid financial ground with adequate fund balances and an excellent credit rating.”
Melinda Lautner (County Commissioner representing Solon and Kasson townships, challenged by John O’Neill):
“This current commission has been right on track with county commissioner duties and responsibilities 101. The county itself has no money. The money comes out of your pockets and that has not been lost on this commission. … That untruthfully coverage (about the disbanding of the EDC) was mean, spiteful, and did nothing but damage our County. The degree of coverage would have been wonderful if it had told the true story. The EDC was defunct and had generated no new jobs in Leelanau County. Sending 16 thousand dollars a year out of county was not helping our businesses. We have developed an exiting new EDC model working with our local Chamber keeping those $ here.”
John O’Neill (challenging Lautner): “Most current commissioners err by ignoring the chain of command and micromanaging the staff—this undermines the county administrator and department heads, damages morale, and cuts productivity. The commission needs to set aside partisan discord follow best practices, and behave professionally. … The county cannot and should not solve all these problems, but it can set the tone. We can improve its policies and help our remarkable residents address needs through businesses and non-profits.
“Look what the Downtown Development Authority has done for Traverse City. Thoughtful policy can help to revitalize the local business climate and help extend the employment season beyond summer. For example. Baabaazuzu, which exports from the county high-quality clothing, borrowed funds from the Economic Development Council, expanded to employ 14-16 year-round workers, and repaid the loans. That revolving loan fund, along with the entire EDC was disbanded by a majority of the commissioners, some of whom expressed disinterest in job growth here. That is unacceptable.”
“It’s been a puzzle to me why the current commissioner, Melinda Lautner has been so passive on (the issue of revitalizing Sugar Loaf resort). As I understand it, she even resisted the Building Department’s inspection of the property. I support the work that Steven Haugen is doing to enforce the building codes at the Sugar Barn.”
Dave Barrons (challenging incumbent Deb Rushton): “The EDC needed a shake-up and more directed guidance from the Commission. Disbanding the EDC, instead of correcting its shortcomings, was short sighted, ideological, and sent the wrong message: that this county’s government doesn’t see any role to play in helping create our own economic future. While there is a very limited range of things a county government can do to make economic development ‘just happen’, creative leadership is always a must. Simply trusting that Leelanau’s past will continue into the future doesn’t make sense. Change will happen and government has a role to play in guiding that change so as to benefit all county residents. This county’s demographics are not going to sustain a viable economy into the future. We need more young families with young children to support our schools be part of the building blocks for the future. All stakeholders, including the counties governing body, must participate in fostering the changes needed.”
“The current Commission has turned a cold shoulder to the efforts of (Leelanau Clean Water). County government must be involved in this vital issue. Clean water is critical to our very way of life and our future economic standing. This county’s government must stand firmly for the protection of the commons: clean water. All levels of government must work together to prevent it from becoming a commodity. Once water can be bought and sold for one person’s profit, we have lost it as a commons.”
Patricia Soutas-Little (challenging incumbent Karen Zemaitis): “Eliminating the Economic Development Corporation without a structure in place to support our business community, cutting out economic regional partnerships, and fomenting an antagonistic relationship with the Michigan Council of Government were poor decisions deserving criticism.”
Ty Wessell (challenging incumbent Tom Van Pelt): “The Commission should be commended for keeping taxes low and paying down the long-term debt. But, I believe the current commission has micro-managed, failed to provide oversight, lacked a commitment to community partnerships, and failed at providing the leadership necessary to support businesses, seniors and families. I believe decisions have been based more on political ideology than on thoughtful consideration and deliberation.”
“I believe that we lost opportunity to support the future of Sugar Loaf Resort when our Commission opted out of the Regional Economic Development Commission and disbanded the Economic Development Corporation. Planning is critical and a long-term Economic Development Plan for the county, including a vision for an appropriate use of this once-popular tourist attraction and job provider, is a responsibility of the Leelanau County Commission.”
