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.
Today we’re featuring the candidates vying to represent Leelanau County Commission District 5 (including Leland and Centerville Townships), which is currently held by Democratic incumbent Patricia Souths-Little. Republican Jim Houdek is challenging Soutas-Little.
Today we’re featuring Leelanau County Commissioner, Democrat Ty Wessell (District 4, Northport), who is running unopposed this election. We asked Wessel the following six questions.
Today we’re featuring the candidates vying to represent Leelanau County Commission District 3 (including Suttons Bay and Lake Leelanau), which is currently held by Republican incumbent Will Bunek. Democrat Lois Bahle is challenging Bunek, as she did two years ago.
Today we’re featuring the candidates vying to represent Leelanau County Commission District 2 (northern Elmwood Township and Bingham Township), which is currently held by Republican incumbent Deb Rushton. Democrat John Hunter is challenging Rushton, who has held a Commission seat for eight years.
Today we’re featuring the candidates vying to represent District 1 (southern Elmwood Township), which was left vacant by Ansorge. The candidates are Democrat George Bowers, a farmer in Greilickville, and Republican Rick Robbins, a former first responder and law enforcement deputy in Kalkaska.
“We have a geographic implicit bias right here in our county, where the highway was built upon a village,” said Melissa Petoskey on Aug. 19 as cars zoomed by on M-22, seemingly unaware that they were driving through a tribal reservation between Suttons Bay and Northport. Petoskey is the human relations executive for the Grand Traverse Band. “There’s no reduction in speed limit here. We’re the only village in Leelanau County without a reduction in speed.
In the wake of former Leelanau County Road Commissioner Tom Eckerle’s public racist tirade, and subsequent resignation, activists are pondering 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. Here’s what it would take to change the road name.