Newcomers, incumbents vie for St. Clair City Council seats

Two wards in the St. Clair City Council race will be contested in the November general election as newcomers challenge a former councilman in Ward 3 and a change in the city charter pits three incumbents against each other in Ward 1.

In the last November general election, residents voted to change city charter rules to require those running for city council to live in the ward they represent. The city has three wards, with Ward 1 covering the north end and Ward 3 covering the south end.

Incumbent Mitch Kuffa, who currently represents Ward 3, will be vying for a seat in Ward 1 against incumbents Ed Kindsvater Jr. and Micah Volz.

In Ward 3, newcomers Erin Gottler and Thomas Jalosky will go against Jon Watt, who has previously served on city council. Ward 2 is uncontested, with Mike LaPorte and Kristopher Paul running for the available two seats.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 8. To see your ballot information, update your voter registration, or find your polling place, visit mvic.sos.state.mi.us/.

Ward 1

While all three of the Ward 1 candidates are currently serving on city council, Kindsvater has the most experience, with 19 years on the council, followed by Kuffa with nine years and Volz with two.

Kindsvater, 62, said he has been self-employed for about 45 years. He is also retired from the St. Clair Fire Department after serving there for 20 years.

Kindsvater said his highlights on city council include steering the city through the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked about his motivations for running, Kindsvater pointed to the desire to continue being a part of a plethora of city projects, including business development downtown, updating the city's water and sewer capacity, road issues, and the need to fill the city's open superintendent position. He also said he supports the city's push for controlled business and residential growth.

"There's a lot of stuff going on in St. Clair," Kindsvater said. "You see all the excitement and energy."

Kuffa, the manager of the Murphy Inn, said his greatest accomplishments as a city council member include being a part of the St. Clair harbor commission, which is in the process of replacing and repairing the north sea wall in the St. Clair harbor and completing other improvements. He also cited his role in the council in several business projects, including the St. Clair Inn and Magna.

If reelected, Kuffa, 41, also said he would like to focus on projects such as road improvements, the superintendent position and the water/sewer treatment plant. He said he is also looking forward to continuing the Clinton Avenue bike path project, a path that connects the Bridge to Bay bike trail with St. Clair's downtown.

"I can't tell you how much I love it," Kuffa said. "Being involved with the city, making decisions that better the city. Walking through town knowing that certain decisions were influenced by myself and six other members of the board; it's just a really gratifying feeling."

Volz, 45, has taught at St. Clair High School for the past 23 years, and is currently the band director. While he originally ran in 2020 to change the rules regarding a councilmember's eligibility for their ward, he is now running because he said he wants to get residents the most bang for their tax dollars.

"I want to be a fiscally responsible person and use tax dollars carefully," Volz said.

He voiced support for the same issues as Kindsvater and Kuffa, including the desire for road improvements and updates to the city's water and sewer capacity. He also said he focuses on issues that improve residents' quality of life, such as his work through the Historical Commission, or his support of a project to build a walking path on Cox Road near St. Clair High School.

Ward 3

Watt, who has a background in education, served on city council from 2018 to 2020. During those years, he said his main highlights were being a part of the St. Clair Inn project and the change to the city's charter regarding council member residency.

"I really want to get a deeper understanding of small city government," Watt said. "I felt like I got a really good overview, but I want to take a deeper dive and get involved and serve the community a little bit more than what I did prior."

If reelected, Watt, 63, said he would like to focus on controlled growth that benefits everyone in St. Clair, including current residents, future residents and business owners.

Gottler, a sales manager for an auto wholesaler company, said he has kicked around the idea of getting involved in local government after coaching his children's sports teams and being the vice president of the an area little league. Now that his children have graduated high school, Gottler said he has the time and energy to throw his hat in the ring.

"(I want) to listen to people and get my hands dirty and make some decisions and be able to be the voice of what I think in general people are looking for in town," Gottler said.

If elected, Gottler, 47, said he would like to make the city council more transparent by educating the public about what the city council does and the processes they follow, using social media as a conduit for information.

Jalosky, 72, is retired after a career in the automotive field. He voiced dissapointment in the city council, but declined to elaborate further.

"To say I'm not thrilled with our city council is probably an understatement," Jalosky said.

If elected, Jalosky said he would like to focus on cracking down on speeding in his ward and beautifying the Cargill Salt plant with cosmetic improvements such as public art murals.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: St. Clair City Council has two contested wards in November 2022 race