ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – In just one month, the fates of three Delta County Commissioners will be decided by voters in a recall election. In District 5, sitting Commissioner Robert Petersen is up against challenger Matt Jensen.
Since January of 2023, Robert Petersen says he has been a commissioner willing to “get his hands dirty.” He says he’s been heavily involved in projects at the U.P. State Fairgrounds and county parks. Petersen says his policies reflect the needs of Delta County residents.
“My priorities have been and will continue to be to bring more middle class and upper middle class housing to Delta County, bringing more industrial type jobs to Delta County, and just trying to move Delta County ahead in a positive motion without saying, ‘We need more money from people in taxes.,'” Petersen said. “Since I’ve gotten on the board, I’ve realized that the wages are substandard and we’re short on people throughout the county.”
If elected, former Wells Township Supervisor Matt Jensen says he would increase board transparency and opportunities for public input.
“I would look at going from the commissioner workshops they have now, which don’t allow for public input on the agenda items, back to the committee of the whole,” he said. “I personally want that public input. I want to know what they want us to do. Some of that has been lost over time here.”
As a veteran, Jensen says his top priority is the Delta County Veterans Service Officer.
“Our VSO is tremendously dedicated, and the last thing we need to see is him being burnt out because he doesn’t have the help and support he needs,” he said. “There’s been on the books for a while for an advisory council that’s never been filled. I have a plan to fill that to bring that information of what exactly they need back to the board.”
Last week, the Board of Commissioners voted to put a VSO millage on the November ballot. However, Jensen says he would have taken a more proactive approach.
“There’s a time to table some things and then there’s a time not to table them, and it’s not just because of what your personal beliefs are,” said Jensen. “It’s what do the citizens want? We’re here for them; it’s not the other way around.”
Petersen says the board acted in accordance with the Veterans Service Officer’s wishes.
“We started out working on a one-tenth millage that we could’ve just given him without going to the people,” said Petersen. “He said he did not want that because it would’ve been controlled too much. He would’ve only been able to use it for veterans’ emergencies. He needs a different type of a millage so he can hire help and get materials. We offered him $50,000 just to tide him over, and he asked not to have that.”
Petersen says the Board of Commissioners has been actively working on this and other issues for months.
“This stuff, especially with the labor problems that we have, it takes time,” he said. “We are working every day at getting courthouse security, the VSO, the parks. Once we say, ‘Here’s the money,’ there’s nothing more we can do. We started the wheels in motion on a lot of these projects, but nothing gets done today.”
Both candidates say their experience and goals make them the right choice for District 5 voters on May 7.
“I’ve been working hard,” said Petersen. “I probably put in as much or more time than any of the other commissioners. I think we’ve got a good chance at staying on the board, all three of us, and I think that we can do a lot of good yet for the next year.”
“I think there’s some bridges and fences to mend that would actually make it more efficient as we go forward,” Jensen said. “There’s a lot of small, little areas that can have significant impacts that will actually be better for the county and its citizens.”
Click here for details on the District 3 candidates. Click here for details on the District 4 candidates.
