Several new faces on GTC board

Patti Brandt Burgess, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·3 min read

Nov. 10—TRAVERSE CITY — Four Grand Traverse County commissioners — all Republicans — will keep their seats, while there will be five new faces on the board come January.

Those remaining are board chair Rob Hentschel in District 5, and commissioners Brad Jewett in District 4, Darryl V. Nelson in District 6, and Penny Morris in District 9.

Hentschel defeated challenger Bruce Moore on a vote of 2,885 to 2,774; Jewett defeated David Fashbaugh on a vote of 2,700 to 2,568; Nelson defeated Amanda Scott on a vote of 3,765 to 2,579; and Morris defeated challenger Pamela Harris Kaiser on a vote of 3,198 to 2,498.

In all 52,760 people voted, or about 64 percent of the county's 82,453 registered voters.

All results are unofficial until they are certified by the Board of Canvassers, which meets beginning today, Nov. 10, at 9 a.m. Clerk Bonnie Scheele said the certification process usually takes about a week.

Hentschel, who won by a slim margin of 111 votes, said he doesn't watch results come in. Rather, he waits for someone to call him the following morning. This will be his fourth term on the board.

"I look forward to continuing to serve the county and continuing the good work we've done," Hentschel said. "It was a good race by all concerned."

Redistricting added two new seats to the board, with new district lines giving Democrats a slight edge. Three Democrats — all women — will be sworn in Jan. 1. The current board has just two Democrats.

They are attorney T.J. Andrews in District 7, Lauren Flynn in District 2, and Ashlea Walter in District 3.

Andrews defeated state Sen. Wayne A. Schmidt, R-Traverse City by a healthy margin of 3,972 to 3,051.

Andrews said the community and District 7 have been shifting Democratic for the last few election cycles.

"While Sen. Schmidt's service and bringing resources into the community may have helped him, this (vote) is more influenced by what people want to see on the county commission moving forward," Andrews said.

Schmidt is term-limited in the Michigan Senate. He was also a county commissioner for 10 years.

Andrews is an attorney who has been involved in community environmental issues and supportive of housing solutions.

The district includes Peninsula Township and part of Traverse City and was formerly District 1, with the seat held by Democrat Betsy Coffia, who won her bid for the state 103rd district.

Flynn defeated Ellen Koenig on a vote of 2,694 to 1,931.

"I'm so excited to win," Flynn said. "Ellen Koenig ran a great campaign and I will serve everyone who voted for me and voted for her."

City Commissioner Ashlea Walter is giving up her city post for a District 3 seat on the county commission. She is in her third year of a four-year term.

Walter garnered 3,657 votes in Tuesday's race, defeating Republican Joe Welsh, who got 2,147 votes, and Green Party candidate Tom Mair, who got 217 votes.

Walter also challenged Democratic county Commissioner Bryce Hundley in the August primary, winning that match on a vote of 1,699 to 599.

The outcome in District 1 was decided in the August primary when Brian Paul McAllister of Interlochen ran unopposed. He garnered 3,245 votes Tuesday.

Kingsley resident Scott Sieffert beat his District 8 primary challenger, Charles Jetter, to go on and run unopposed in the general election, garnering 3,809 votes.