TRAVERSE CITY — A Democrat will take a seat on the Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners for the first time in 20 years.
Ross Richardson handily defeated Republican David Barr by a 2,483 to 1,839 tally in commission District 5 that includes the eastern regions of Traverse City and Garfield Township. He’ll fill the open seat left by Wayne Schmidt, who won a seat in the state House of Representatives.
Richardson credited his victory to hard work and talking to a lot of people about county issues.
“I started in July knocking on doors and talking to people,” Richardson said. “Towards the end (Barr) did robo calls and a lot of mailings, but I don’t know how many doors he knocked on.”
Richardson will be the lone Democrat on the nine-member county board, but he said that won’t prevent him from working with his fellow commissioners.
“We have some serious issues we have to figure out,” Richardson said, “but I don’t think the issues facing the county commission have a heavy partisan slant on them.”
Barr, a member of the board for Traverse City Area Public Schools, was not available to comment.
Region
11 am: 1st Dem elected to GT board in 20 yrs
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Unger seeks new trial
A downstate man found guilty of killing his wife at a Benzie County resort seeks a new trial. A hearing will begin this morning in Manistee in the case of Mark Steven Unger, convicted in 2006 by a Benzie jury of first-degree premeditated murder in the death of his estranged wife Florence Unger.
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Packaging company honored
A local company whose packaging products are utilized throughout the world received its own surprise package: the Hagerty Small Business of the Year award from the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce.
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The Plascon Group received its honor at a chamber reception Wednesday. -
Driver 'deeply troubled' by fatal crash, husband says
Carol Saxton likely will struggle with her role in a fatal traffic crash for years to come, her husband said. Saxton on Saturday rolled her 2005 Honda on a ramp off I-96 near Grand Rapids. The crash killed Lake Ann resident Wendy Sak, 35, and Julie Davis, 50, of Traverse City, who traveled with Saxton.
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Road commissioner wants decision on Gillis' future
Mary Gillis may soon discover just how much longer she will hold her title as manager of the Grand Traverse County Road Commission.
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Seven charged in Antrim drug probe
Antrim County authorities charged several people with drug-related crimes after a lengthy investigation. County residents Shaun R. Roggenbeck, 30, Jason C. Blackmore, 29, and Wallace E. Bigger are charged with a collective total of more than 15 drug-related felonies and misdemeanors.
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Candidates for elected positions in Grand Traverse County
The listed candidates will appear on the Aug. 7 primary ballot for county and township elected positions in Grand Traverse County.
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Scott's Harbor Grill closing; new owners taking over
Scott Neumann is selling Scott's Harbor Grill just two weeks shy of his 21st anniversary of opening it.
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Charter service will be interrupted overnight
Night owls beware – your cable television and internet service will be off for several hours overnight.
Continued ... - Leelanau County candidates on August ballot
- Tuesday, May 22, 2012
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Davis, Sak left lasting impression
Friends, family and former co-workers are mourning the two local women who died Saturday in a single-vehicle crash near Grand Rapids.
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Budget moves would save one firefighter's job
A budget shift would save one Traverse City firefighter from layoff.
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Suspect charged six years after robbery
A man who authorities believe robbed a Mancelona bar at gunpoint faces felony charges nearly six years after the incident.
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Dam removal info meeting to be held
A public information meeting on removal of Brown Bridge dam will be held this week.
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City residents to get new voter ID cards
City residents will receive new voter identification cards in the mail.
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Police identify man who died in crash
Authorities identified a man who died in an East Bay Township motorcycle crash.
Continued ... - Monday, May 21, 2012
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Dam meeting set for Wednesday
A public information meeting on removal of Brown Bridge dam will be held Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Ranch Rudolf.
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Authorities ID man who died in crash
Authorities identified a man who died in an East Bay Township motorcycle crash.
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Buffalo burgers & great weather
The white pines at Northwestern Michigan College provided welcome shade for thousands at the school's 57th annual barbecue.
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Six buffaloes and 8,798 people
Oleson's Food Stores donates more than $20,000 in food and beverages to the barbecue.
Continued ... - Sunday, May 20, 2012
- Missing clues for Sunday crossword puzzle
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Fruit shortage hurts everyone
Northern Michigan fruit growers in recent years pitched in a portion of their oft-thin profit margin to promote local products on a national stage.
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Camp, Benishek to survey crop damage
Two Michigan Congressmen will get a look at the widespread crop damage in northern Michigan.
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'Bullycide' play tells victims' stories
Alex Harrison, 16, killed himself after being bullied by his peers. The Cadillac High School student’s story is one of 11 told in the “The Bullycide Project,” a play presented Tuesday at Lars Hockstad Auditorium in Traverse City.
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City budget could be approved on Monday
The Traverse City commission will wrestle with that question Monday, when it considers approving a proposed 2012-13 budget that includes a $555,525 shortfall.
Continued ... - Saturday, May 19, 2012
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Students mark schoolship’s birthday with hands-on lessons
Mrs. Micinski’s sixth grade class from Platte River Elementary gathered around a cake and sang Happy Birthday to the Inland Seas after a hands-on science lesson that included everything from Great Lakes history, fish samples, zooplankton and a sailing vocabulary.
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