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Incumbent Ray Franz (GOP) is term-limited. Scripps held the seat from 2009-2010. His opponent, Curt VanderWall (GOP), declined to respond to our questions. From staff reports Glen Arbor Sun: Please name three top goals you’d like to accomplish as State Representative Dan Scripps: Create jobs in Northwest Michigan by working to rebuild Michigan’s infrastructure, supporting […]

In advance of the Nov. 8 general election, the Glen Arbor Sun reached out to interview candidates for Leelanau’s seven County Commission seats (both incumbents and challengers) and two candidates vying to replace John Soderholm as Glen Arbor Township Supervisor. At least one candidate for each County Commission seat responded to our interview request, as did both candidates for Township Supervisor — Bob Hawley and Peter Van Nort.

Manistee businessman, Democrat Allen O’Shea is challenging Republican incumbent Ray Franz to represent Michigan’s 101st District in Lansing. Franz unseated Democrat Dan Scripps two years ago in a GOP and Tea Party tidal wave election.

State representative-elect Ray Franz favors cutting “Pure Michigan” funding by as much as 80 percent, the soon-to-be legislator from the 101st District told the Leelanau Enterprise last week. Franz said he would reduce funding from $25 to $30 million down to $5 to $6 million, while comparing Michigan’s tourism economy to keeping the books at the Onekema grocery store he owns.

In reality, there are three parties actively running in these midterm elections: Democratic incumbents, Republican moderates and Republican Tea Party extremists who would have us storm the kitchen, fire the chefs, dump out the giant vat of slow-cooking soup, and start all over again. Michigan largely appears to have bucked the trend of Tea Party-rage this election season.