While we are all quarantined, why not consider making a life change? Perhaps you always wanted to take a leap into local politics!  This fall, most of the local positions are on the ballot, including county, village and township officials.

This article will focus on County Commissioner positions in Northwest Michigan. These are very important part time positions. The Commissioners manage all the county business related to the jails, airports, animal control, parks, senior services, emergency services, veteran’s affairs, and much more.

How to File to Run for Local Positions
The regular election for all local positions is November 3rd, when the top contenders from each party will face off.  

Libertarian candidates for all local positions will be selected at the June 17th convention at 6:30 at Incredible Mo’s in Grawn, Michigan. Interested Libertarian candidates can email nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.com or call 231-350-8507.

The primary election for Democrats and Republicans is August 4th. The deadline for this primary is April 21st. Anyone who wants to file as a Democrat or Republican should contact their County Clerk. Email addresses for each county are below. The clerks are currently working by appointment only during the corona virus restrictions.

County Commissioner Position
While there are many township and village positions on the ballot, this article will focus on the County Commissioner positions. There is no formal education or experience required to be a County Commissioner. It’s up to the voters to decide if you are qualified. College is a bonus, as the Commissioners discuss a lot of complicated issues. However, the current boards are comprised of people from all walks.

Commissioners need to be reliable and show up to meetings to fight for their district. They need to communicate to the board and to constituents, both verbally and in writing. The good Commissioners are active in their community, and attend village and township meetings regularly.

Most of the county boards meet twice per month on top of attending many committee and local meetings to keep connected. They do get paid per board meeting. For most counties, this pay adds up to a nominal amount of a couple thousand dollars per year.

The counties are broken up into districts. Each district elects their own County Commissioner to represent their district. To give you an example of districts, Antrim County’s districts are outlined in the picture that accompanies this story. 

Email addresses for County Clerks in Northwest Michigan are below:

clerk@antrimcounty.org
slutz@grandtraverse.org
dghill@kalkaskacourt.org
clerk@charlevoixcounty.org
clerk@manisteecountymi.gov
clerk@wexfordcounty.org
mcrocker@co.leelanau.mi.us
dolney@benzieco.net
clerk@missaukee.org

Please call 231-350-8507 or email nwmichiganlibertarians@gmail.org if you are interested in running as a Libertarian candidate.