By Katherine Conlee, news writer
Huron County is one of several Thumb communities that will be participating in elections next week, with Bad Axe and Caseville preparing to open the polls to voters.
Bad Axe’s Mayor Kathleen Particka has no one set to run against her. She won her second term as mayor in 2019. If she wins this year’s election, this will be her third term as the city’s mayor. Three of Bad Axe’s City Council Members will also be up for re-election next Tuesday. All three incumbents are running unopposed with several years of experience in council work. Council member Nicholas Rochefort has been a member of the Bad Axe City Council since 2010. Council members Joel Harrison and Richard Peterson are also up for re-election.
Bad Axe voters will be asked to consider a bond proposal regarding Bad Axe Public Schools, as well. The city would borrow $6,700,000 for the remodeling, furnishing, and equipping of school buildings, to be collected through general obligation unlimited tax bonds. The estimated millage for 2024 would be 1.00 mills (or $1.00 on each $1,000 of taxable value), an increase of 0 from last year’s levy.
In addition, Caseville City Council Members Clint Braun, Darin Sprague, and John Tait will be on the ballot and face no opposition. Elected in 2021, Mayor Christopher Stahl will also be running unopposed. Braun and Sprague were first elected to the council in 2015 and have been active in the community for many years. Tait has served Caseville for over thirty years as a member of Caseville’s Department of Public Works (DPW) prior to his retirement in 2018.