Racist road commissioner resigns. What’s next?
From staff reports
Former Leelanau County Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle resigned his post on Monday, August 10—less than a week after he used the N— word during a racist tirade just before a Road Commission meeting. Eckerle refused to wear a mask during the meeting and blamed the Coronavirus on African-Americans in Detroit.
Leelanau Enterprise reporter Eric Carlson heard Eckerle’s incendiary rant, methodically confirmed with the other commissioners what he had heard, and published a front-page story in Leelanau County’s paper of record a day later. Calls for Eckerle to resign were nearly immediate, and came from his fellow road commissioners, Leelanau County commissioners, State Rep. Jack O’Malley (R), State Sen. Curt VanderWall (R), and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D).
Eckerle repeated the N— word during an interview with an Interlochen Public Radio reporter several days later. When he finally called Leelanau County administrator Chet Janik to announce he would resign, he expressed no remorse for his actions.
The grotesque story spread to newspapers nationwide, including The Washington Post, potentially dealing a black eye to Leelanau County and its usually pristine image. Meanwhile, concerned local citizens led by Cedar attorney Ellen Fred prepared to file a recall petition with the state in case Eckerle didn’t resign. Activists also pondered whether to launch a movement to change the name of Eckerle Road, a small stretch of road just south of Suttons Bay, and coincidentally where the Leelanau County Road Commission sits. (Tom Eckerle, himself, does not live on Eckerle Road.) Over the weekend, one activist took a photo of their Black Lives Matter sign next to the Eckerle Road sign.
What would it take to change a road name in Leelanau County?
According to County Planning Director Trudy Galla, an application to change a road name would need to be submitted along with a fee of $50; at least 51% of property owners (including vacant properties) with a street address on the affected road must sign the petition in order for the application to be considered (based on a GoogleMap search, Eckerle Road appears to have fewer than 10 properties on it); typically, the County only considers changing existing road names if road construction has extended the road to another road or if it is properly petitioned; the County would also ask for input from the County Road Commission on any proposed name change for a county road. According to Galla, the request would ultimately be reviewed by the County’s Planning Director, IT Director, and Emergency Services Director.
This summer the Glen Arbor Sun has covered the Black Lives Matter movement by publishing a series of four profiles of people of color who live in Leelanau County: an African-American, a Mexican-American, an Iranian-American and a Native American. Read about Samantha and Aaron TwoCrow, African-American Marshall Collins, Jr., Mexican-American Bea Cruz, and second-generation Iranian-American Cyrus Ghaemi.
