Waddell to Join Houghton Council – Area Election Results

Craig Waddell will join the Houghton City Council, after winning yesterday’s special election. Waddell garnered 272 votes, edging out Robyn Johnson, who collected 262 votes. Michael Salmi finished with 106.

Waddell will fill out the unexpired council term of Dan Salo, who stepped down late last year after giving up full-time residence in the city. At the time, the remaining councilors were unable to agree on a replacement, forcing the election. The seat will come up for election again in November.

In Calumet, voters decided to let the village council appoint the village treasurer. The official procedure will have the village president nominate a candidate, who will then be approved by the council. Forty-three voters favored that approach, with 35 voting to have the treasurer elected directly by the citizens.

In Lake Linden, voters overwhelmingly approved the five-year continuation of a 1.75-mill levy for police and fire protection – 115 in favor, 24 opposed.

Results are unofficial until a canvass is completed today.

Voters in the NICE School District easily approved a 1.75-mill levy to create a sinking fund for district improvements. The margin was 75 percent to 25 percent. That affects voters in Spurr Township in Baraga County.

In other news from yesterday’s elections, Rhonda Boshears will take over as supervisor in Michigamme Township. In a recall election, she outpolled incumbent supervisor William Seppanen 90-83.

Downstate, Democrat Carol Glanville upset Republican “RJ” Regan in a special election for a State House seat in a heavily Republican district in suburban Grand Rapids. Regan had been criticized for anti-Semitic statements, promoting conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 pandemic, and for saying publicly that he has told his daughters “If rape is inevitable, you should just lie back and enjoy it.” The state Republican party disavowed Regan’s comments, but left him on the ballot. In a district that has never before elected a Democrat, Glanville won by 11 percentage points.