This article was last updated August 20, 2015.
Michigan will see several elections in 2015. This is a preview of elections in Kalamazoo County. The November election will have Kalamazoo and Portage city elections.
February 24: Kalamazoo Township passed a road millage.
May 5: Proposal 1 would have raised Michigan taxes by 2 billion per year to pay for road improvements and many other things. It was defeated 20%-80%. There was a KRESA millage that narrowly passed.
August 4: There will be a bus tax millage on the ballot in much of Kalamazoo County.
Pay for Your Own Buses!May 5: Proposal 1 would have raised Michigan taxes by 2 billion per year to pay for road improvements and many other things. It was defeated 20%-80%. There was a KRESA millage that narrowly passed.
August 4: There will be a bus tax millage on the ballot in much of Kalamazoo County.
November 3: This is the day for local city elections.
Kalamazoo City Commission
All seven seats on the Kalamazoo City Commission are up for election. The seven commissioners are Mayor Bobby Hopewell (on since 2003), Don Cooney (1997), David Anderson (2005), Barb Miller (2005), Robert Cinabro (2010), Jack Urban (2013), and Eric Cunningham (2015). Cunningham was appointed to replace Stephanie Moore, who was elected to the Kalamazoo County Commission.
In 2014, Kalamazoo voters passed a charter amendment changing the charter by electing the mayor separately and implementing staggered four-year terms for the other seats (similar to the system Portage uses). This year, all six commissioners will be elected together, with the top three winning four-year terms, and the next three winning two-year terms.
Hopewell, who has been mayor since 2007, is running again. He is being challenged by Kris Mbah. Both are black liberal democrats.
Cooney, Anderson, Urban, and Cunningham are seeking reelection as commissioners, while Miller and Cinabro are not. Eleven other candidates are running:
Leona Carter: travel trainer/outreach specialist for Disability Network of Southwest Michigan
Cody Dekker: community organizer
Grant Fletcher: director food and nutrition and retail services for Bronson Methodist Hospital
Sonjalita Hulbert: supervisor with Coventry Cares health services, mainstream Republican
Erin Knott: Obamacare enrollment organizer
Jason Milan: small business owner
Matthew Milcarek: construction manager and frequent Mlive commenter
Kevin Staten: politics unknown
Shannon Sykes: social justice consultant
Daniel VanSweden: Withdrew from the race
Reid Youngs: politics unknown
16 candidates file Kalamazoo City Commission, 2 for mayor
Portage City Council
The mayor of Portage, Peter Strazdas (mayor since 2005), is running unopposed for reelection. Three of the six seats on the commission were also up for election. Those seats are held by Patricia Randall (2009), Jim Pearson (2011), and Richard Ford (2013), who are all running for reelection. Ford was appointed to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Elizabeth Campbell.
In recent years, a divide has developed on the council between two factions. One faction consists of Strazdas and councilmembers Claudette Reid and Terry Urban. The other consists of councilmembers Randall, Pearson, Ford, and Nasim Ansari. Strazdas is a moderate Republican, while the others do not strongly identify with a party.
There are two other candidates for council:
Jeff Bright: financial advisor
Tim Earl: fire safety consultant
Five file for three four-year terms on Portage City Council; Strazdas unopposed for mayor
There will be a proposal on the ballot to decriminalize marijuana in Portage.
Marijuana decriminalization will be on November ballot in Portage
Homeless Tax
There will be a tax increase on the ballot countywide to support homeless families.
Tax to assist homeless Kalamazoo County families headed to Nov. 3 ballot
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