With election day being about a week from now, Sanilac County will be seeing some changes no matter what the voting tallies.
With last year’s redistricting, Sanilac County gained two new county districts, with this year’s election determining those districts’ commissioners. Despite some changes to the districts’ numbering and covered area, commissioners Jon Block, Roger Ballard, Gary Heberling and Bill Sarkella from districts one through four, respectively, will be returning as unopposed incumbents in this election. The major changes come from districts five through seven.
First of all, despite not being the district’s incumbent, republican and former Brown City councilwoman Christine Lee will be running unopposed for District 5, as incumbent for the former fifth county district, Joel Wyatt, did not seek re-election as a county commissioner this year. Instead, he ran for the Sanilac County Drain Commissioner nomination, losing it in August to republican incumbent Ron Gerstenberger, who is running that race unopposed in November.
Meanwhile, in district 7, Worth Township republican John Moody, who retired within the past year as administrator for the county’s jail, will be running unopposed for the seat after receiving the blessing in April from would-be contender Joel Wyatt, who also lives in Worth Township and originally sought re-election in the re-apportioned district.
And in new district 6, which covers Lexington Township, two candidates are vying for the new seat– democrat Geoff Angus and independent Evans Ehardt.
Also at the county level is the county clerk race, where republican incumbent Leslie Hilgendorf of Melvin will be running her first election in the role, having been appointed to the position in January after former clerk Denise McGuire resigned.
She faces a challenge from Kimberly Cory of Applegate, owner of Sandusky’s Real Video, who is running as an independent after missing the deadline to run in the primary for the republican nomination.
