Mental health, housing out front in District 6

Oct. 14—TRAVERSE CITY — The incumbent for Grand Traverse County District 6 has an opponent who says she's tired of the games on the county board.

Republican Darryl V. Nelson, who is in his first term on the board, faces Democrat Amanda Scott for the district that encompasses Whitewater, Union and Fife Lake townships, and parts of Acme and East Bay townships.

Nelson said there are many reasons to elect him for a second term. He's a long-term business owner in the area and has spent almost 50 years volunteering for numerous organizations.

"I raised my family here and have seen the good, the bad and the ugly," Nelson said. "I'm at a point in my life where I can give back to the community in a positive way."

Scott said if elected she brings her planning, zoning and housing experience to the board. Scott has been on the Fife Lake Area Planning Commission for eight years and sits on the GTC Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. A former resident of Leelanau County, she was part of a housing committee that worked to address the lack of affordable housing.

"I'm sick of the nonsense, I'm sick of the games and I will put people over politics and get back to work," said Scott, who also has experience working with nonprofits as part of her job with Child & Family Services.

Mental health services is one of the top issues in the county and, in May, the county board voted to leave the six-county Northern Lakes Community Mental Health Authority and form its own.

Nelson said he's not sure if leaving the authority, which would dissolve it, is the answer, but services need to improve. Nelson said he has talked to people in local law enforcement, at Munson Medical Center, several nonprofit agencies and many families who say mental health services in the region are inadequate or non-existent.

"We have some real holes in the system and it's unconscionable," he said.

Leaders from all six counties now meet regularly to rewrite the enabling agreement that established Northern Lakes about 20 years ago. That agreement has never been updated, despite changes in state law.

"We will likely fix the agency we have and give it what it needs to serve those who need mental health services," Nelson said, though it means the county will have to spend more money.

"I know it's a heavy lift, but by exploring it and doing a deep dive into it we will find a better answer."

Scott said she also does not know the answer to whether the county should form its own mental health authority.

"I don't think it's a secret that Northern Lakes needs help," but as a commissioner she would have approached the issue differently, she said.

"I would have brought people to the table rather than willy-nilly getting rid of an agency," Scott said.

Scott said she launched and managed mental health programs, especially for youth, through CFS, where she has worked since 2015.

"I know the field and I feel strongly that I can help with this," Scott said. "Our kids need to stop ending up in the emergency room for days. That's not acceptable."

Nelson said the lack of affordable housing is a problem every successful community in the world is having. The overarching solution to the housing problem is inventory and there are things the county can do, he said.

"The county is not the end-all and be-all, but we need to do what we can to create inventory," Nelson said.

That means looking at giving developers tax breaks as incentives to build, he said. The county should also support the efforts of local, state and regional housing authorities and nonprofits; and should work with townships to create zoning that is accepting of high-density housing.

The county also should spend some of its $18 million in American Rescue Plan Act money to partner with some townships on water and sewer infrastructure for housing developments. That's a huge expense for developers and could be used as trade-off agreements for affordable housing units, Nelson said.

"We have to work with partners to get this done," he said.

Scott said housing is her top issue and she has several ideas for addressing the lack of affordable housing for county residents. The county also needs a planning commission, she said, and should access tools it already has, such as the Land Bank and the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

A third of ARPA money should be spent on partnering with agencies like Networks Northwest, Home Stretch and Habitat for Humanity, she said.

"We need to get out of their way so they can do their good work," Scott said.