Sanilac County has several ballot races on this year’s special ballot, with two townships and the Sandusky School Board being the subject of recall elections.
Being voted on by 12 townships and Sandusky, the Sandusky Community School Board election will see incumbents Jane Jacobson, Dan Gerstenberger and Jason Trepkowski running against Kelly Trowhill, Katie Tovar and David Heberling, respectively. While Trepkowski and Gerstenberger’s terms were slated to end in December 2024, Jacobson’s term ends in 2026, giving Trowhill the chance at a longer term than her challenging counterparts.
The school board recall came after the Sandusky School District changed its mascot from the controversial ‘Redskins’ moniker to the Wolves, with some community members protesting the change. After the board voted for the change during a 4-3 vote in November 2022, petitions for a recall election began against the three board members who voted in favor of the change.
(The fourth vote was from Susan Dreyer, who finished out her term in December 2022. Her seat is now held by Justin Radloff.)
Voters in the 12 townships and Sandusky will also be deciding the fate of a school millage’s renewal. The proposal seeks to renew the current millage rate of 18 mills ($18.00 on each $1000 of taxable value) for another 9 years, from 2024 to 2032, for operating costs. The millage is currently set to expire with the 2023 tax levy, with renewal seeing the district collecting a little more than $1.4 million in 2024.
Meanwhile, Speaker and Fremont Townships are seeking recalls of several of their board members, following controversy connected to alternative energy sources. Speaker Township’s clerk Dawn M. Cubbitt, treasurer Tracy Sheldon and trustees Thomas Murray and Charles Stanley are all facing possible recall for actions seen in favor of/helping Algonquin Power (MI Energy Developments) LLC, also known as Liberty Power, in their efforts to install wind turbines in the area.
Running against Cubitt is Michelle L. Brown, while Sheldon, Murray and Stanley are against Rochelle R. Stevens, Fred Moss and Jeremie W. Risdon, respectively.
While Fremont’s recall election is for similar reasons, there are three members running unopposed in next week’s election, as no one filed to run against the supervisor Jeff Furness, clerk Reta Gardner and treasurer Patti Shinn. While write-in candidates are still possible for those positions, the only official opponents on the Fremont ballot are against trustees Karen Kovach and Michael Noll, with Debra Allen and Kevin Bradley challenging the two.
