Traverse City Record-Eagle

Election 2007

November 2, 2007

Write-in candidates running in Whitewater

Zoning ordinance at heart of race for trustee seat

By Brian McGillivary

TRAVERSE CITY -- Whitewater Township voters will cast a key vote on future zoning when they go to the polls to choose between two write-in candidates for township trustee.

The Nov. 6 winner in the Grand Traverse County community will provide the swing vote on a board philosophically divided over a politically charged new township zoning ordinance and master plan.

A split board in July rejected a draft zoning ordinance and fired the consulting firm that helped create it. Changes to the ordinance and township master plan are back before the planning commission and eventually will reappear before the board.

Candidate Karen Ferguson, 53, is a property and environmental law attorney and said she wants to protect the township's rural character.

She's running against fellow write-in hopeful Arnell Boyd, 59.

Ferguson said changes to the ordinance to address public concerns would have given the board a better ordinance. She's also concerned that ordinance opponents -- led by citizens group Whitewater Watch -- want to eliminate township zoning.

"By working through the zoning process I feel everybody's property rights and property values are protected," Ferguson said. "When you have incompatible uses right next to each other, the value of the property goes down."

Boyd is a commercial kitchen designer and estimator who owns a centennial farm on M-72, where he hosts meetings for Whitewater Watch.

Boyd favored rejection of the proposed ordinance. He said zoning should not infringe on property rights and any significant changes to zoning should be decided by popular election.

Boyd said he doesn't want to eliminate zoning but said the new ordinance and parts of the current ordinance are too restrictive.

"To restrict by zoning what people can do with their property is not correct," he said.

No name appears on the Nov. 6 ballot because the Michigan Secretary of State struck Boyd's and Gerald DeGrazia's names for not filing a required affidavit of identity.

The township board deadlocked 2-2 over appointing either Boyd or DeGrazia to replace Dieter Amos when he resigned in May.

DeGrazia decided not to run as a write-in.

The winner will fill the final year of a four-year term.

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