ALPENA — Small towns throughout Northeast Michigan will vote on various competitive races, including Harrisville mayor, village councils, township boards of trustees, clerks, and more.

Election day happens Nov. 5, but many voters are already casting ballots by mail.

SANBORN TOWNSHIP SUPERVISOR

Incumbent Republican Kenneth Gauthier faces independent challenger John Moran for a four-year term as Sanborn Township supervisor in Alpena County.

Moran, who has law enforcement and legal writing and research experience, claimed Gauthier has been talking about getting out of the position, and, since no one else would run, Moran thought he’d step up.

“I’ve been going to both planning meetings and board meetings to see what they’re doing,” Moran said. “I’ll have to figure out what they’re doing now and what they’re not doing, and try to make it work for the community.”

Gauthier did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.

MILLERSBURG VILLAGE COUNCIL

Four nonpartisan candidates are competing for two open positions on the Presque Isle County’s Millersburg Village Council: Dawn Riley, Wendy Robbins, Sam Watts, and Chae Witsitt. Council members serve four-year terms.

Watts, currently on the council, said he believed no one else would step up and he wanted to ensure the position is filled.

As for his goals, Watts said, “I want to continue bettering the roads for the community.”

Robbins, also an incumbent, said she is running because getting participation in a small town can be a challenge.

“No one else will do it,” she said.

Robbins said that, if she’s reelected, she’d like to work toward gaining more funding for the upkeep of a bridge in the village and ensure roads are maintained.

Riley and Witsitt did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.

POSEN VILLAGE COUNCIL

Five nonpartisan candidates are running for three open seats on the Posen Village Council in Presque Isle County. Voters will decide between Audrey Andrzejewski, James Bruski, David Kamysiak, Loretta Wozniak, and Simon Zolnierek. Council members serve four-year terms.

Andrzejewski, an incumbent, said she’s running again because she’s “interested in what goes on in the village of Posen.”

Andrzejewski said she’d like to see through certain projects, including a new playground set for the kids in the area.

“I’m interested in not only the village itself but making it better for the people of the village,” she said. “We’re just trying to make everything better here for the people in Posen.”

Kamysiak, another incumbent, said he just wants to help the village out. He noted that the village is small, with very few people willing to take on council positions.

“I’ll keep going and try to make a difference,” he said.

Kamysiak said sidewalk work is something he wants to see continue. He said there has been talk of removing some of the sidewalks for new curbs and gutters, but he’d like to “put a halt to that.”

Wozniak has been on the board for several years and said she’s running again to help the village.

“We’ll just do whatever needs to be done throughout the village,” she said.

Zolnierek, an appointed member of the council, said he’s running because “more or less, no one else would do it.”

“We just want to carry on and try to make Posen a better place,” he said.

Incumbent Bruski said he’s running for another term to continue improving things for kids in the community.

Born and raised in Posen, Bruski also wants to continue working on local projects, like a parking lot and pavilion near snowmobile trails in the area.

HILLMAN TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Incumbent Republicans Steven Achatz and Daryl Peterson and independent challenger Pamela Schaudt are running for two open positions on the Hillman Township Board of Trustees in Montmorency County. Trustees serve four-year terms.

Peterson is hoping to add to his 24 years of experience on the township board, where he has served in different positions, including as supervisor and treasurer. He also said he’d like to continue to use his experience to guide new members of the board and work through ongoing projects.

“We have a couple of road projects that have to be done,” he said. “I hope we can get them done in the next four years.”

Achatz said he is running again because not many people want to.

He said the board needs to continue taking it “one day at a time.”

Newcomer Schaudt believes the board could use a pair of fresh eyes.

“It feels like we’re doing the same things over and over,” she said. “Change could be good for the township.”

Schaudt, Hillman Community Center manager, said changes she’d like to see include the board having more transparency and giving community members more opportunities to provide input on where and how they want their tax dollars spent.

CALEDONIA TOWNSHIP CLERK

Incumbent Republican Cindy Smith will face independent challenger Al Cobb for a four-year term as Caledonia Township clerk in Alcona County.

“We’ve done a lot of good in the last four years,” Smith said. “With the right people in place, we can continue to do a lot of good for the people in Caledonia Township.”

Smith said that, if she is reelected for her second term, she’d like to continue to see upgrades to public parks and other public properties.

Cobb, a military veteran, said if elected, his goals would be to ultimately give back to the community, work on keeping local water systems and the environment clean and pollution-less, and overall “leave the world better than we found it.”

As a constitutional activist and having attended various activities around the state aimed at protecting the constitution, Cobb said he is hoping to bring this experience and dedication into the role to make changes in the area.

CURTIS TOWNSHIP BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Incumbent Republicans Sherry Cloust and Jennifer Petty face Democratic challenger Amina Root for an open seat on the Curtis Township Board of Trustees, serving a four-year term, in Alcona County.

Root is challenging the incumbents because she believes she has “a lot to offer the community.”

As Curtis Township Library clerk, Root said she sees and hears about issues in the community from library patrons that she wants to help resolve while also thinking cost-efficiently.

“We need some positive changes,” she said. “We need more things for families to enjoy, like parks and playgrounds, and we need to be smart with funding.”

She also said she wants to ensure the “little guys” are cared for and their concerns are heard.

Cloust and Petty did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.

HARRISVILLE MAYOR

Republican incumbent Jeffrey Gehring faces Democratic challenger Pam McCann and independent challenger Jacquelyn Schwanz in a race for Harrisville mayor, serving a two-year term, in Alcona County.

“I enjoy being a part of the community,” Gehring said. “(Being mayor) is a duty to my community.”

Gehring explained that, in the last couple of years, Harrisville has a new sewer system set to be upgraded, a new playground was recently added, and some property was acquired. Gehring said he wants to continue on that path of growth for the city.

“I love serving the community, and I want to continue that in the next election cycle,” he said. “I think our future is bright.”

McCann, who moved to the area almost three years ago, said she wants to take the kindness and welcome she received from her neighbors and spread it throughout the city.

“I’m a newcomer to living here, but I’ve been coming to the area since I was a baby,” she said. “I’d like to help revitalize Main Street with green jobs and small, locally owned businesses throughout the town.”

McCann also said she’d like to help make the town and region as resilient to climate change as possible, as well as making the city universally accessible to everyone.

“I want to create a much more participative process for making decisions together and more transparency in how we govern ourselves,” McCann said. “We could run meetings differently to make things more inclusive and make sure voices are heard, other than the elected officials.”

Schwanz has served on the city council since 2019 and said she wants to try something new to get her ideas out on how she might be able to change the city for the better.

“I have a mural project in the works,” she said. “We have a lot of buildings that would benefit from the beauty of a mural, and murals bring a lot of commerce.”

Schwanz also said she’d like to work on earning more grants for Harrisville and hopefully get state funding for various things throughout the community.

“I’m running unaffiliated because I feel that, in a city the size of Harrisville, we should be serving the public, which is a mix of different beliefs, and we should not be serving a political ideology,” Schwanz said.

HARRISVILLE CITY COUNCIL

Democrat Timothy Slezsak and Republican Timothy Claseman are vying for the Ward 2 seat on the Harrisville City Council in Alcona County. Council members serve four-year terms.

Slezsak grew up in the Harrisville area. He said he’d like to give some fresh ideas on how to bring Harrisville back to the town that it once was.

Claseman is hoping to use his experience of being on the Harbor Commission to help him continue to be a part of the community.

“Harrisville is limited for the potential of growth … it has limited space,” he said. “But, it’d be nice to see more people here year-round and see something more sustainable.”

Claseman said he doesn’t have a personal agenda and just wants to favor the city.

Torianna Marasco can be reached at 989-358-5686 or tmarasco@thealpenanews.com.