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In defeat, Lois Bahle praises accurate and secure vote recount

The recount performed by the Leelanau County Clerk’s Office yesterday in the race for District 3 of the County Board of Commissioners concluded with no changes. Republican Will Bunek’s seven-vote win over Democrat Lois Bahle stood. “I owe it to my constituents and to myself with only a seven-vote difference,” Bahle said earlier this month. “The recount process is also a way to show that the system works. We can have faith in it.” Bahle echoed that sentiment today. “The count process is an amazing demonstration of the organizational skill of Clerk Michelle Crocker,” Bahle told the Sun.

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From super majority to narrow minority

To use a football metaphor, the breakout 60-yard gain was called back for a penalty, killing the team’s momentum and resulting in negative yards. Leelanau Democrats are disappointed after the 6-1 super majority on the County Commission they thought they had—following unofficial, and incomplete, election results posted to the County website in the wee hours of Nov. 6­—changed to just three seats. They’ll be in the political minority once again through the four-year term. Democrats thought they were riding a blue wave on the County Commission, too, until County Clerk Michelle Crocker suddenly alerted candidates, and the media, on Friday afternoon, Nov. 8, that more than 3,000 in-person early votes had not been counted in the unofficial results. They were uploaded to the ElectionSource software on election night, but didn’t save correctly. A hand count of the paper backup ballots revealed the discrepancy. Lois Bahle, who now trails her Republican opponent Will Bunek by seven votes, plans to request a recount once results are certified late this week. “I owe it to my constituents and to myself with only a seven-vote difference,” said Bahle. “The recount process is also a way to show that the system works. We can have faith in it.”

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District 3 Leelanau County Commission candidates Bahle, Bunek address recall election, housing, clean energy, broadband

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 3, which serves Suttons Bay and the area east of Lake Leelanau, Democrat Lois Bahle faces Republican Will Bunek. Incumbent Doug Rexroat, a Republican, is not seeking reelection. Bahle previously served on the BOC after defeating Bunek in a special recall election against him. That May 2022 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. When asked what he learned from the 2022 recall effort against him, Bunek doubled down on his push to zero out voter-approved funding. “It is astonishing that someone can be recalled for lowering unnecessary taxes,” Bunek said. “The BOC continues to lower the early childhood millage, this year by $200,000. It always takes four votes to accomplish anything at the BOC.” Prior to the 2022 recall election, Bahle had narrowly lost two previous County Commissioner elections to Bunek, in 2020 and in 2018. Bahle lost to Rexroat in the November 2022 general election.

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Election 2022: County Commission District 3 race features Bahle vs Rexroat

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The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners District 3 race features incumbent Democrat Lois Bahle of Suttons Bay, who won a special recall election earlier this year against ousted Commissioner Will Bunek. Bahle’s win gave Democrats their first ever 4-3 majority on the Board of Commissioners. Her opponent is Republican Doug Rexroat, a Lake Leelanau native and CFO of an electrical contracting firm. Bahle responded to the Glen Arbor Sun‘s questions; Rexroat did not.

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Will Leelanau lean blue or red in November 8 election?

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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.

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Bahle beats Bunek in recall election. Democrats take control of Leelanau County Commission for first time

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.

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Leelanau Commission District 3 candidates Will Bunek, Lois Bahle address key issues facing County

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.

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