Algonac election petition deadline is April 21

Rocky Gillis and Dawn Davy will run again

By Barb Pert Templeton

The Algonac Clerk’s Office will be accepting nominating petitions for open seats on the city commission until Tuesday, April 21 at 4 p.m.

Algonac City Council members are elected to four-year terms on a rotating basis in even-numbered years. Mayor Rocky Gillis, Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey and Councilman Ed Carter all have seats expiring in November 2026.

After the November election, the newly seated council holds a special organizational meeting to elect a mayor and mayor pro tem from among their members. Therefore, despite the council seats themselves being elected every four years, the appointment of mayor and mayor pro tem actually occurs every two years as new or returning council members take their seats.

Algonac City Clerk Lisa Borgacz’s page on the city website states citizens interested in running for city council must submit a petition signed by not less than 25, and not more than 40 registered electors in the city of Algonac. Residents can only sign the number of petitions equal to the number of offices open. For example, if there are three city council seats open, any one person can only sign up to three candidates’ petitions. Candidate packets, which became available on Feb. 1 and include petitions, are available at the clerk’s office and need to be submitted to the city clerk by the filing deadline.

The Algonac City Council meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. Council members earn $40 per meeting and an additional $10 for any special meetings.

At the most recent council meeting on March 3, Councilwoman Wendy Meldrum encouraged others to consider running for office.

“I just want to mention to all the voices out there on social meeting that remind us how wonderful we are not, that April the 21st is the deadline to submit your petitions to run for city

council,” Meldrum said. “There are three seats so I encourage you, that if you are one of those who want to see a change or want to be a part of it, I think you should come in and talk to the city clerk and see how it is, pull your packets and petitions and see what happens.”

Davey added that she wants to let everyone know that they still have openings on the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals, no packet required.

“That’s how you get involved,” Davey said. “Planning is a big thing, especially with all the things we have going on now, we need bodies on planning and the ZBA.”

Rocky Gillis is running again

Incumbent Gillis, who was first elected in 2018, confirmed his candidacy via email on March 5. He has taken out his petitions and plans to seek another term serving the residents of the city as a member of the Algonac City Council.

“Serving this community has meant a great deal to me. I grew up here, my family is here, and it’s the place where my wife Mary and I are raising our son,” Gillis wrote. “When I first decided to run for office, a big part of that decision was wanting to make Everett proud and to help ensure that Algonac continues to be a place where families can thrive.”

Gillis said at the same time, he admits it isn’t always an easy decision to put himself out there again.

“We live in a time when a lot of falsehoods can spread quickly on social media and elsewhere, and sometimes those things have a way of reaching people they shouldn’t — including kids,” Gillis said. “Having a 10-year-old who occasionally hears some of those things can make the decision more difficult.”

Still, at the end of the day, Gillis said he believe strongly in the community and in public service.

“We’ve accomplished a lot together over the past few years, and I still feel a responsibility to continue working on the progress we’ve started for Algonac,” Gillis said.

Davey seeks a return to the table

First elected in 2022, Davey is completing her first four-year term as a member of the council and has been the mayor pro tem, a position voted on by fellow council members, since 2024.

In an email asking if she intended to run to retain her council seat and if it was a difficult decision Davey sent the following response on March 9.

“After quite a bit of thought I have made the decision to run for a second term on city council,” Davey said. “I’ve had the packet sitting on my dining room table for about a month now, debating the pros & cons.”

She said the pros are fairly easy: “After too many years of our city standing near the precipice I fully believe we are setting achievable goals to start the trek back in the direction we need to be.”

The cons: “Simply begin and end with the volatile political climate we seem to find ourselves in these days. While I can take the hits with the best of them, the universe called social media is difficult to navigate…but I made the decision to put myself out there so it comes with the territory. My goal this time around is to do everything I can to make sure our residents are informed on what’s going on our city.”

Davey wants to allow residents the ability to understand what is rumor and what isn’t.

“To make sure that information is easily accessible so everyone has the opportunity to know what’s going on where they live, to promote community involvement by asking questions & engaging with elected officials,” she concluded.

Other election dates in 2026:

· The state primary election is set for Tuesday, August 4, 2026 and the state general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

· City Council members will be under the “City” section of the ballot in November. If there are more than six candidates who file to run for City Council, candidates will appear on the August Primary ballot.

Councilman Ed Carter did not respond to an email seeking his decision regarding seeking another term on the city council.

The Algonac City offices are located at 805 St. Clair River Drive.