Published: October 25, 2008 08:00 pm      

Candidates battle for Leelanau board

At least three seats will feature new faces

SUTTONS BAY -- Four of the seven seats on the Leelanau County board of commissioners are up for grabs in the November election.

There will be turnover in at least three spots, since commissioners Mark Walter and Bob Hawley did not seek re-election, and incumbent William Bunek lost in the primary.

Republican James Schaub Sr. faces Democrat Victor Walter in District 2, covering portions of Elmwood and Bingham townships.

Walter, 58, is a carpenter and lives in Suttons Bay. He's president of the Carpenters' Local 202 union.

"I'm not coming into this with a preconceived notion or agenda," Walter said. "Probably one of the biggest tasks will be ... budgetary concerns with what's happening with the economy and how that will affect the ability to continue with all the programs."

In District 3, Democrat Jackie Freeman is up against Republican Dick Schmuckal. The winner will represent residents in parts of Bingham and Suttons Bay townships.

Freeman, 63, lives in Suttons Bay and owns Michigan Debt Settlement. She's a trustee for the Village of Suttons Bay and a member of the public works committee.

Freeman wants governmental meetings broadcast on public access television and wants to ensure more opportunities for public comment during meetings.

"There are a lot of areas in which I think we can clean it up and provide a more responsive county commission so the public doesn't feel they aren't part of the process," she said.

Schmuckal, 69, lives near Suttons Bay, is retired from Ameritech and runs a Christmas tree farm. He's a member of the local veterans' affairs board.

He served three terms on the county board until losing to Bunek four years ago. Schmuckal beat Bunek in the primary by 11 votes.

The county needs to find a new way of funding its 911 system, Schmuckal said, and he would like to explore consolidating services with Grand Traverse and Benzie counties.

"There are lots of hurdles to be crossed there, but that's something I'm very interested in pursuing," he said.

Republican Dan Semple faces Democrat David Marshall in District 6, representing Cleveland, Glen Arbor, Empire townships and South Manitou Island.

Semple, 58, is an electrical engineering design consultant in Maple City. He spent 16 years as a Glen Lake school board member

Semple wants to help bring more workforce affordable housing to the county. Many service industry employees have to come from outside the county because housing is too expensive in Leelanau, he said.

"I think our big challenge is to manage our growth so we maintain the quality of life that all of us originally came here for," he said.

Democrat Traci Cruz is challenging Republican incumbent Melinda Lautner for District 7 in Kasson and Solon townships.

Cruz, 45, lives in Empire and is a legal assistant for municipal attorneys. She'd like to see more intergovernmental cooperation.

"We need to really start exploring those in order to get the best dollar back to our community and make the best investments for our taxpayer dollars," Cruz said.

Commissioners Jean Watkoski, Mary Tonneberger and David Shiflett, all Republican, are unopposed for another term. Watkoski represents Elmwood Township District 1, Tonneberger covers Leelanau Township and a northern section of Suttons Bay Township in District 4, and Shiflett represents Leland and Centerville townships and North Manitou Island in District 5.