IPR's Election Notebook is a weekly roundup of voting information and local events, ahead of the Nov. 5 election. Have something we should know about? Send us an email at ipr@interlochen.org.
This week, we're taking a trip down the Betsie River to Benzie County.
The Benzie County Chamber of Commerce is hosting various candidate forums this month for local races.
- 3-5 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Lucky Dog Bar and Grille in Beulah — Beulah/Benzonia Event
- 3-5 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Thompsonville Fire Hall — Thompsonville Event
- 3-5 p.m. on Oct. 21 at St. Ambrose Cellars — Honor Event
They've invited candidates from townships, villages, and county commission districts nearby to each event, along with the candidates for the 104th Michigan State House District, Republican incumbent John Roth and democratic challenger Larry Knight.
Expect to hear about housing, childcare, and what the county commission's role should be in addressing those issues.
Glen Lake Community Schools millage: Take two
Glen Lake Community Schools, which enrolls almost 800 students from both Benzie and Leelanau counties, is asking voters for an $8 million dollar bond.
They’re trying this again after their last bond proposal, which tried to raise four times that, failed last November.
The system's superintendent, Jason Misner, told IPR News they took feedback from the community after last year's vote and significantly lowered the amount.
The money will go towards replacing their aging heating, ventilation and air conditioning system.
Misner said they're "constantly babysitting" their heating systems.
"A lot of times it's extremes. Extremely hot in one room, or extremely cold. Really, we want to ensure that we can have comfortable learning spaces and dependable heating systems, so that we can have kids here every day."
The proposal is for 0.48 mills collected in property taxes (meaning $0.48 for every $1,000 in property value), up from zero mills, collected for a maximum of 20 years.
Empty seats in Manistee
There are some Manistee County positions that no one ran for. There are 14 seats that will be empty on voters' ballots, according to the Manistee News Advocate.
This has happened in the past, but last election cycle there were a lot fewer empty seats.
Write-in candidates can still win those empty spots on the ballot.
VP and GOTV
Both parties are trying to get out the vote here for the presidential election – there’s a GOTV "Lunch and Learn" with local Democrats in Traverse City on Friday October 4th.
At J.D. Vance’s rally in our region last week, he encouraged supporters to bring 10 friends and neighbors to the polls.
And as a final note... Tim Walz was at a University of Michigan football game this week, where he watched Ann Arbor's team beat his home state’s University of Minnesota Gophers 27-24.
That’s all for this week.
And if there are any races or local issues you want us to cover before election day, send us an email at ipr@interlochen.org.
