Andress Wins Board of Education Seat
Wightman, Horn Retain City Council Seats After Election
By Karen Gould

In a 47 percent turnout of voters, incumbents were the preferred choice on Mackinac Island, with Aldermen Armand "Smi" Horn and Dan Wightman retaining their city council seats in the Tuesday, May 8, election. School board president Ben Mosley also was elected to another term on the board. He will be joined by newcomer Terry Andress. She replaces Paul Wandrie, who chose not to run for reelection. The council and school board seats are three-year terms.

City council challenger Sam Barnwell lost the race, as did school board contender Marsha Kleber.

The two contested races for two city council seats and two school board seats brought out 47 percent of the voters, said Mackinac Island City Clerk Karen Lennard. By 3 p.m. onethird of the Island voters had cast ballots. By the time the polls closed at 8 p.m. 305 votes were cast, including 97 absentee ballots.

Mackinac Island has 646 registered voters.

Also running unopposed and winning reelection for a oneyear term were Mayor Margaret Doud, Clerk Karen Lennard, Treasurer Rick Linn, Assessor Robert Benser, and Supervisor Ron Dufina.

Island residents voted against an Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District (EUPISD) ballot proposal that would have increase property taxes through a 0.75 mill levy over the next three years to support special education. The proposal also failed district-wide.

If it had passed, Island taxpayers would have contributed an estimated $130,697 in 2008, but the Island school would receive only $28,000 from the special education disbursement.

The EUPISD would have collected 75 cent for every $1,000 from property owners on the taxable value of their property. The funds would be used for special education services to students.

Voting was steady all day and no problems were encountered, said Mrs. Lennard. Following the November 2006 general election, Mrs. Lennard was left with only seven unused ballots. She had ordered 400. Making sure not to come close to running out of ballots, she said, this time she ordered 550.

At 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, Mrs. Lennard was unlocking the doors at Community Hall as election workers arrived to help with the work of the day. Chair Jennifer Bloswick, Kathy Andress, Janis Early, and Betty BeDour were in their seats with paperwork ready when the polls opened to voters at 7 a.m.

"This was a smooth election," Mrs. Lennard said. Votes were tabulated and results were submitted to Mackinac County Clerk Mary Kay Tamlyn just a few minutes after the polls closed at 8 p.m.

With the election over, city business moves forward with the City Council's annual appointment meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, May 14. Council members will be assigned committees for the coming year.

Other council members are Frank Bloswick, Mike Hart, Jason St. Onge, and Armin Porter.

Budget issues likely will challenge the school board in the next few weeks with a potential reduction in perpupil funding from the state.

Also sitting on the school board are Jason St. Onge, Sara Chambers, Patricia Martin, and Leanne Brodeur. Mackinac Island Elections Results
  City Council (two seats)
Dan Wightman   238
Armand Horn     167
Sam Barnwell     131
School Board (two seats)
Ben Mosley         195
Terry Andress     168
Marsha Kleber     154

City Officials (uncontested)
Mayor Margaret Doud     235
Clerk Karen Lennard       250
Treasurer Rick Linn         260
Assessor Robert Benser   215
Supervisor Ron Dufina     176

EUPISD Levy Proposal
            (Island)
          No     133
          Yes     104
EUPISD Levy Proposal
          (District)
          No     3,085
        Yes     2,762