Posts

The Nov. 5 election will determine which party controls the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners (BOC), and which policies and initiatives they pursue next year. The Commission is currently deadlocked between three Democrats and three Republicans, with one seat vacant. In District 6, which serves Cleveland, Empire and Glen Arbor Townships, incumbent Democrat Gwenne Allgaier faces Republican challenger Mark Roberts.

The Nov. 5 election will determine which party controls the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners, and which policies and initiatives they pursue next year. The Commission is currently deadlocked between three Democrats and three Republicans, with one seat vacant. In District 5, which serves Leland and Centerville Townships, incumbent Democrat Kama Ross faces Republican challenger Alan Campbell. It’s a rematch of the race in 2022. The Glen Arbor Sun reached out to all 14 candidates for the BOC and asked about their positions on issues or initiatives that are key to Leelanau County citizens: namely, affordable housing, renewable energy, broadband access and services for both seniors and families with young children. Our questions, and their responses are below. Today we’re featuring Ross and Campbell, who are vying for the District 5 seat.

The Nov. 5 election will determine which party controls the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners (BOC), and which policies and initiatives they pursue next year. The Commission is currently deadlocked between three Democrats and three Republicans, with one seat vacant. In District 2, which serves Elmwood and Bingham Townships, Democrat Scott Perry faces Republican Mark Walter. Incumbent James O’Rourke, a Republican, is not seeking reelection. The Glen Arbor Sun reached out to all 14 candidates for the BOC and asked about their positions on issues or initiatives that are key to Leelanau County citizens: namely, affordable housing, renewable energy, broadband access and services for both seniors and families with young children. Our questions, and their responses are below. Today we’re featuring Perry and Walter, who are vying for the open District 2 seat.

The Nov. 5 election will determine which party controls the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners (BOC), and which policies and initiatives they pursue next year. The Commission is currently deadlocked between three Democrats and three Republicans, with one seat vacant. In District 1, which serves Elmwood Township in Leelanau’s southeastern corner, Republican Tim McCalley faces Rick Robbins, who is running as a Democrat after previously serving on the BOC as a Republican from 2020-2022. In his previous term, Robbins was the deciding swing vote—often siding with Democrats—on contentious issues including septic regulations and funding voter-approved early childhood services. The Glen Arbor Sun reached out to all 14 candidates for the BOC and asked about their positions on issues or initiatives that are key to Leelanau County citizens: namely, affordable housing, renewable energy, broadband access and services for both seniors and families with young children. Our questions, and their responses are below. Today we’re featuring McCalley and Robbins, who are vying for the open District 1 seat.

The Leelanau County Energy Futures Task Force, which was created by the County Commission last fall “to identify opportunities and facilitate implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy in Leelanau County,” has big, green goals for this peninsula. The Commission earlier this year voted to apply for a $1.5 million grant to erect two solar arrays at the County Governmental Center campus. If awarded and approved by the Commission, the solar arrays could provide about 30 percent of the campus’ energy requirements, while saving the County $35,000 per year and more than $1.5 million in energy bills over the next 30 years. But the advisory group’s honeymoon ended soon after it was created. Commissioner Melinda Lautner, a Republican who has represented Solon and Kasson Townships for nearly three decades, has led the opposition to the solar array grant, even after voting to create the task force. “She inserted herself as the very last new member of the task force, then she missed all but one meeting to date,” said task force chairperson Joe DeFors. “She’s been an opponent of virtually every initiative we’ve put forward.” Lautner, who has been a Commissioner since 1995, faces her first-ever primary challenge from a fellow Republican on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

For Leelanau County, 2022 was a year of new businesses growing in our communities, a year of celebrating historic legacies, and a year of grieving the loss of community pillars who left us. The Glen Arbor Sun’s top 10 most-read online stories of the year included homages to Beryl Skrocki, whose family business Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak helped popularize standup paddle boarding in Empire and along the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, longtime Cherry Republic general manager Kathy Baarstad, and storied Glen Arbor realtor and Sugar Loaf ski coach John Peppler.

Control of the 110-seat Michigan State House of Representatives could be up for grabs this election, and the new 103rd District, which includes Leelanau County, might prove pivotal in that race. Facing off are Republican incumbent Jack O’Malley and Democrat Betsy Coffia, who has attacked O’Malley over his record on abortion and his casting doubt on the 2020 election results. According to AdImpact Politics, more money has been spent to win the 103rd than any other State House seat.

Democrat Lois Bahle beat Republican Will Bunek today in a District 3 recall election that will swing the majority on the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners to the Democrats for the first time in county history. Today’s recall election was precipitated by controversial statements Bunek made in September 2021, during a board committee meeting, when he pushed to zero out funding for Early Childhood Services which Leelanau voters had narrowly approved in a 2019 millage.

Tonight at 7 p.m. the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners will vote on whether to defund a popular early childhood development services program provided by the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department, which voters passed in a millage levy two years ago. Last week Commissioner Will Bunek voted to approve the senior services millage, even as he moved to defund the early childhood millage. Patricia Soutas-Little, a Democrat on the Board of Commissioners and a primary advocate for the childhood development services program, said that last week’s move by Bunek and other Republicans “awoke a sleeping giant” in Leelanau County.

Today we’re featuring the candidates vying to represent Leelanau County Commission District 6 (including Glen Arbor, Empire and Cleveland Townships), which is being vacated by Democrat Carolyn Rentenbach, who is stepping down. Running to succeed her are Democrat Gwenne Allgaier and Republican Julana Schaub.