ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – On Tuesday, Delta County voters recalled three county commissioners at the polls, with uncertified results showing about a 23% turnout.
In District 3, no-party candidate Myra Croasdell unseated Republican commissioner Bob Barron. The uncertified numbers posted to ElectionReporting.com show Croasdell garnering 1,410 votes with Barron at 514.
“The voters spoke, and they want change, healing, bridges that were burnt to be reconstructed,” Croasdell said.
One of those bridges involves the board’s hired attorney, Scott Graham.
“I would like to end the contract with Mr. Graham and bridge again with Lauren Wickman, our prosecuting attorney,” she said. “That should’ve never been changed.”
Croasdell, who has served on a number of community boards, says she is excited to take on this new role.
Her message to District 3 residents is, “I will do my best and I will be your voice.”
In District 5, voters elected Matt Jensen—another no-party candidate—to replace Republican commissioner Robert Petersen by more than 550 votes, according to unofficial results pending certification.
“With the numbers that came out last night, it wasn’t about party,” said Jensen. “It was about what’s right and wrong and where people perceive the direction that the County was going. Last night, people overwhelmingly agreed with us that the current board was making some very bad decisions.”
A military veteran himself, he says his primary focus is on local veterans.
“My first one’s to make sure that our Veterans Service Office is actually funded the way it should be and that the advisory council that’s been on the books for a long time is actually staffed,” he said. “You have to get that portion in motion now, because it’s not going to happen overnight.”
When asked how he felt upon seeing the results of his district’s election, Jensen responded, “Joyful.”
“It was a lot of work by a whole lot of people to even get to this point,” he said. “I might be the one standing here right now, but if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
District 4 voters chose Democrat Kelli Van Ginhoven over Republican commissioner David Moyle. Uncertified posted results show Van Ginhoven receiving 932 votes and Moyle receiving 353.
“I thought the turnout was really good for a May election,” Van Ginhoven said. “I think we were about the same as the last election. I think the numbers prove that the county was ready to move forward in a different direction, and I’m pleased with the results. A 70 – 30 split is great.”
Van Ginhoven already has big plans for the county.
“I do have a list of ten things I would like to accomplish in the next 30 days,” she said. “Of course, it’s going to take a lot of collaborative effort with the other commissioners so we know where we want to go, getting to know the staff within the county a little bit better.”
Van Ginhoven thanks her supporters for their turnout. She says she wants to reach across the aisle during her time on the board.
“To the voters that didn’t wish for me to be in this seat, I’m willing to talk to them as well,” she said. “We’re going to try to mend some fences here and stop the divisiveness. I think it’s a great thing that’s going to be happening in the next six months.”
WZMQ 19 reached out to Barron, Petersen, and Moyle for comment. Only Barron has sent a response at the time of this article, writing:
“There was very poor voter turnout. The general public doesn’t realize the woke agenda that the newly elected have, which will be put into play very quickly. I’ll be running in the August primary, and we’ll see if the people of Delta County want that mob rule type of governance, or do they want the Constitutional Representative Republic, which is the rule of God’s law. I send a huge thank you out to all my supporters and the excellent hard work of the Party.”
District 1 Commissioner John Malnar and District 2 Commissioner Steven Viau were not up for recall. In the months leading up to the vote, Malnar had declined to comment on the recall effort. When asked why on May 8, he detailed the last 16 months on the board.
“I could tell it’s going to be mainly one-sided and anything that me and Steve Viau did say was going to be knocked down, pushed out,” he said. “I tried to put stuff on the agenda; the three of them canceled that out. I just thought, ‘I’m going to play this thing out and see what happens.'”
While he says he didn’t “want to see anybody get recalled,” he says it came to a point where “somebody had to go” as meetings became more “hostile.”
“It was up to the county citizens to make that choice,” Malnar said. “It wasn’t nobody’s choice but their own.”
With the three incoming new commissioners, Malnar believes the board will be more transparent. He also says the board intends to bring back committee of the whole meetings.
“I think we’re going to be easier to work with—not a heavy hand coming down all the time,” he said. “We’re going to make some changes. We do want the citizens of Delta County to be more active. It’s their money, and they should have a say into how it goes down.”
Malnar also expressed interest in becoming chair of the board.
WZMQ 19 will update this story if the other candidates respond to our request for comment.
