Six to vie for four seats in city race

Election 2009

Related Photos

Jan-Michael Stump
Jan-Michael Stump
Douglas Tesner
Douglas Tesner
Jan-Michael Stump

August 12, 2009

By Sheri McWhirter The Record Eagle Wed Aug 12, 2009, 03:35 PM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY -- The candidate field in the race for City Commission has some fresh -- and familiar -- faces.

Candidates for three four-year terms on the commission include incumbents Jody Bergman and Deni Scrudato, as well as two members of the city's Citizens Operational and Financial Analysis Committee in first-time candidates Michael Gillman and MaryAnn Moore.

Commissioner Chris Bzdok, also mayor pro tem, is running for a two-year term as mayor and is challenged by James Schmidt. The filing deadline was 4 p.m. Tuesday, and voters will go to the polls on Nov. 3.

Gillman, 70, is a retired lawyer and Moore, 71, is a local real estate broker. They were members of the city's COFAC ad hoc citizens committee that advised city officials on services and costs.

Bergman, 54, and Scrudato, 57, were both elected in November 2005 and are completing their first terms as commissioners.

Gillman was prompted to run by his experience on COFAC and a desire for the city to reduce expenses, he said.

"I think the city commission has made some progress in the direction we'd have the city move, but I want to make sure some other issues are not ignored," Gillman said.

Moore also decided to run after serving on COFAC. She wants to see continued infrastructure improvements and decreases in employee benefit costs.

"I have the time, I have the interest and I don't have an agenda. I think I can be very effective," Moore said.

Bergman wants to continue to improve the city's infrastructure, reduce employee benefit costs and increase city revenues without raising taxes, she said.

"We're in the midst of a lot of unfinished things I'd like to follow through on," Bergman said.

Scrudato could not be reached for comment.

Bzdok, 37, a local environmental and municipal attorney, was elected in 2007 to a partial term as a city commissioner. Now he wants to lead the commission as mayor. Current Mayor Michael Estes isn't seeking re-election.

"We're coming up to the crest of a hill and can see the other side," Bzdok said. "I'd like to spend a couple years pushing us over the hill and getting us to the other side."

Bzdok wants city officials to continue to reduce costs, reinvest in infrastructure and improve the city's waterfront area. City leaders also must work on economic development, regional sustainability and energy efficiencies, he said.

Schmidt, 63, is a former candidate for the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners and also applied for a temporary appointment to the Traverse City Area Public Schools Board of Education. City officials are investigating his residency because he submitted the Jubilee House's Washington Street address in his filing documents. The Jubilee House is a non-resident nonprofit service that works with the area's homeless.

Schmidt could not be reached for comment.

Text Only

Election 2009

TCAPS board gets fresh faces

Traverse City's school board will welcome two new members in January, and an incumbent will retain his seat. Newcomers Julie Puckett and Kelly Hall won four-year terms on the board. Incumbent Gary Appel will fill a partial term to expire in December 2012.
Continued ...
Nov 4, 2009 6:32 am 3 Photos
Grand Traverse County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 4, 2009 6:09 am
Benzie County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 4, 2009 6:07 am
Election results from across the region

Continued ...
Nov 4, 2009 1:05 am
Voters reject Acme, East Bay road millages

Residents in East Bay and Acme townships will continue to live with pothole patches after voters rejected matching millage requests in both townships to fix local roads.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 10:40 pm 1 Photo
2 newcomers, incumbent elected to TC board

City Commissioner Deni Scrudato lost her bid for re-election as voters ousted her, kept another commissioner and seated two newcomers.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 10:20 pm 3 Photos
9:25pm: TC voters oust incumbent

Traverse City voters ousted an incumbent city commissioner, retained another and seated two new ones.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 9:33 pm
9:19pm: Acme, East Bay road millages fail

Voters defeated a pair of millage requests to fix local roads in Acme and East Bay townships.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 9:22 pm
Crawford County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:25 pm
Emmet County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:25 pm
Charlevoix County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:25 pm
Kalkaska County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:24 pm
Manistee County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:24 pm
Wexford County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:23 pm
Missaukee County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:23 pm
Otsego County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:23 pm
Leelanau County Election Results

Results from the 2009 November 3 general election, updated as the numbers come in.
Continued ...
Nov 3, 2009 12:22 pm
November 2, 2009
A look at the area's election issues

There's a hot button issue in Manistee County's Norman Township. Three board members face recall on Nov. 3 because they voted against an ordinance to authorize off-road vehicle use on township roads. (Plus a roundup of ballot issues set for the Nov. 3 election in the Record-Eagle's 13-county circulation region.)
Continued ...
Nov 2, 2009 11:31 am
October 31, 2009
Heated debate over road millage requests

Sleepy little off-year election? Maybe not in Acme and East Bay townships, where millage proposals for road repairs are fueling heated debates in both communities.
Continued ...
Oct 31, 2009 9:30 pm
October 30, 2009
Schools seek funds on Nov. 3

Forest Area Community Schools in Fife Lake is one of several regional districts that will ask voters on Tuesday to help fund building projects.
Continued ...
Oct 30, 2009 11:50 pm 1 Photo
Candidates voting records vary

Some candidates for the Traverse City Commission and Traverse City Area Public Schools board voted in nearly every local election in the past five years, while others missed nearly half the elections in their communities.
Continued ...
Oct 30, 2009 11:50 pm
Woman says official pulled election signs

A Whitewater Township woman spent hours working on election signs that voice her opposition to a projected tax increase. But some of those signs ended up in the township Dumpster this week, courtesy, she contends, of the local zoning administrator.
Continued ...
Oct 30, 2009 11:50 pm 1 Photo
TCAPS candidates disclose spending

Two candidates for two Traverse City school board races spent more than $2,000 to woo voters, tops among board hopefuls.
Continued ...
Oct 30, 2009 7:25 am
Letters At Issue: Elections: 10/30/2009

Letters regarding the upcoming Nov. 3 elections.
Continued ...
Oct 30, 2009 7:25 am
What about spending by city candidates?

All but one candidate for Traverse City commission offices filed campaign finance statements.
Continued ...
Oct 30, 2009 7:25 am
October 29, 2009
Letters At Issue: Elections: 10/29/2009

Important perspective; Roads will be safer; For the local good; Status quo is over; Vote for COFAC; On life support; A vote for Gillman; Opportunity is now; The time is now; Uniquely qualified; Fair and open-minded; No time for a change; Invest in roads; National background; Deserves our vote; No county guarantees; Car has spoken; No other source; Lone dissenting voice; The right decision; We live here; A better district; Can't ask for more; A progressive spirit; Fix our roads; Scrudato has her vote; A high priority; Compassion and integrity
Continued ...
Oct 29, 2009 7:25 am
October 28, 2009
Letters At Issue: Election: 10/28/2009

More of Moore; Vote 'yes' for roads; Puckett right choice; Moore fair, ethical; Vote 'yes' for roads; Puckett has background; Millage best option; Hall has the skills; Money well spent; Vote 'yes' on roads
Continued ...
Oct 28, 2009 7:50 am
October 25, 2009
Our recommendations for TC Commission

Traverse City voters will be asked to choose among four candidates for three seats on the city commission Nov. 3. Commissioner Chris Bzdok is running unopposed for mayor. Here are our endorsements.
Continued ...
Oct 25, 2009 8:30 am
Our recommendations for TCAPS Board

Traverse City Area Public Schools voters could add as many as three new members to the seven-member school board in voting Nov. 3. Five candidates, including one incumbent, are vying for two four-year terms. Two candidates, including an appointed incumbent, are competing for a partial term that ends in December of 2012. Here are our endorsements.
Continued ...
Oct 25, 2009 8:30 am
Experience lets candidate do more with less

Early in his career, Gary Appel taught elementary science and helped start an outdoor garden classroom. He used those efforts to link gardening to science lessons in a book he co-wrote on the topic. Now that public education faces deep budget cuts, Appel thinks school districts have to be on the cutting edge to do the most with limited dollars. And he believes he has the experience to do it.
Continued ...
Oct 25, 2009 6:28 am 1 Photo
October 24, 2009
Candidates to meet, greet voters in town

City commission candidates will be available to meet with the public at a series of "meet and greet" sessions at a downtown coffee shop.
Continued ...
Oct 24, 2009 12:55 am
Candidate vows to preserve student programs

For 24 years, Diane Viskochil taught foreign language in Traverse City's public schools. For nearly a quarter-century, Viskochil watched the district evolve under prior administrations and school boards, so she considers herself knowledgeable about how it operates. She would use that history to make decisions if elected Nov. 3 to the Traverse City school board.
Continued ...
Oct 24, 2009 12:55 am 1 Photo
October 23, 2009
Manner says she understands challenges

Mary Ufford Manner knows what happens when organizations have to cut back. Last October, Manner's position as education director at the Great Lakes Children's Museum -- a role she'd held for six years -- was eliminated when the nonprofit restructured. Manner is vying Nov. 3 for one of two, four-year terms on the board, a race that includes incumbent Suzann Brooke and challengers Julie Davis, Kelly Hall and Julie Puckett.
Continued ...
Oct 23, 2009 7:40 am 1 Photo
October 22, 2009
TCAPS candidate Davis wants to be involved

Julie Davis is frustrated when people don't show up to public meetings. Airing them on public-access television is a good alternative, she said, but even then they're limited to cable subscribers. Something more needs to be done.
Continued ...
Oct 22, 2009 7:40 am 1 Photo
Retired teacher seeks second TCAPS term

Suzann Brooke believes being a school board member comes with a learning curve, just like anything else. Brooke used to be a teacher in Traverse City Area Public Schools, and didn't know much about the operations department before winning a seat on the board four years ago.
Continued ...
Oct 22, 2009 7:40 am 1 Photo
Letters at Issue: Elections: 10/22/2009

Attuned to TC; Reach higher; Vote 'yes' for roads; Hall has experience; Support sinking fund; Most qualified; Vote 'no' on roads; Retain Gary Appel
Continued ...
Oct 22, 2009 7:30 am
October 21, 2009
Former attorney views schools as business

Kelly Hall thinks of public education as a business. She calls it a "customer-driven enterprise" and cites real-world analogies from the private sector when discussing ways public schools can improve. These days, with increasing competition for students' attention from other public, private and charter schools, Hall isn't wrong.
Continued ...
Oct 21, 2009 7:50 am 1 Photo
October 20, 2009
TCAPS candidate promises critical thinking

Julie Puckett didn't want to be a "single-issue candidate." Once a vocal opponent of shutting Bertha Vos Elementary, her daughters' school, she wants to use her experience from that time and her teaching background to help guide the district.
Continued ...
Oct 20, 2009 7:10 am 1 Photo
October 19, 2009
Economy may determine millage outcome

Backers and opponents of a proposed road millage in Acme and East Bay townships agree on one thing -- the economy will likely determine the outcome of the Nov. 3 vote.
Continued ...
Oct 19, 2009 7:08 am 1 Photo
October 18, 2009
Bzdok: Public input is key

Chris Bzdok is looking for a leadership role. Voters first elected Bzdok, 38, to a partial term on the Traverse City Commission in 2007, following his appointment earlier that year to a vacancy created when former Commissioner Rick Csapo resigned. Now hes running unopposed to become the citys mayor for two years, after serving this year as mayor pro tem.
Continued ...
Oct 18, 2009 8:07 am 1 Photo
October 16, 2009
TCAPS, city candidates in the the spotlight

A host of hopefuls were featured at separate candidate forums for the Traverse City Commission and the Traverse City Area Public Schools' Board of Trustees.
Continued ...
Oct 16, 2009 7:45 am 2 Photos
Candidate focuses on Hickory Hills

MaryAnn Moore wants to pay back the community she raised her family in. Moore, 71, is a semi-retired real estate broker making her first run for public office. She is seeking election to the Traverse City Commission, after serving on the city's Citizens Operational and Financial Analysis Committee.
Continued ...
Oct 16, 2009 7:27 am 1 Photo
October 15, 2009
Retired attorney seeks city post

Michael Gillman, 70, is a retired lawyer who in 2007 joined Traverse City's Citizens Operational and Financial Analysis Committee as a way to ease himself into retirement. Instead, he's now making a bid for a seat on the Traverse City Commission.
Continued ...
Oct 15, 2009 7:28 am 1 Photo
TC Chamber to host candidate forum

The Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce will host a candidate forum for Traverse City Commission hopefuls.
Continued ...
Oct 15, 2009 7:25 am
School board hopefuls at forum

The League of Women Voters Grand Traverse Area will host a forum with the seven candidates running for seats on the Traverse City Area Public Schools Board of Trustees.
Continued ...
Oct 15, 2009 7:25 am
October 14, 2009
Scrudato isn't afraid to speak out

Traverse City Commissioner Deni Scrudato doesn't mind swimming against the political current. She's drawn praise for her independence on issues and criticism for the occasional slipup, including an off-hand remark last year that insulted a finalist for the then-vacant city manager's post.
Continued ...
Oct 14, 2009 8:02 am 1 Photo
Bergman seeking another city council term

Traverse City Commissioner Jody Bergman wants to keep working on what she's started. Voters elected Bergman, 55, in 2005. She's completing her first term as commissioner and seeks another four years in office.
Continued ...
Oct 14, 2009 7:19 am 1 Photo
October 8, 2009
Unions endorse school board candidates

Employee unions in Traverse City's public schools endorsed an incumbent and two new candidates for school board.
Continued ...
Oct 8, 2009 7:35 am
August 17, 2009
Ballot is next step for Division overhaul

Traverse City commissioners are on the clock to get a November ballot question ready for city voters as part of a possible overhaul of Division Street.
Continued ...
Aug 17, 2009 7:15 am
August 13, 2009
Acme ballot features road repair question

Acme Township voters will get their say on whether or not to fix local roads, but East Bay Township residents won't have the opportunity.
Continued ...
Aug 13, 2009 7:05 am 1 Photo
August 12, 2009
Seven to vie for three school board seats

Two incumbents and five other community members will seek three Traverse City school board seats this fall.
Continued ...
Aug 12, 2009 7:00 am
August 1, 2009
Aug. 4 elections in northern Michigan

Northern Michigan elections set for Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Continued ...
Aug 1, 2009 8:25 pm
July 21, 2009
Deadline nears for city candidates

The filing deadline for this year's city elections is three weeks from today -- petitions have to be filed at the city clerk's office by 4 p.m. Aug. 11 -- and a handful of would-be office holders are completing the legwork and paperwork necessary to get on the November ballot.
Continued ...
Jul 21, 2009 7:00 am